Wildlife

Wild Hare Conservation and Welfare UK

Brown hare populations have declined by 80% since the 1960s in the UK. Habitat management and reduced hunting pressure are key welfare and conservation priorities.

Key Facts

Brown hare populations have declined from approximately 4 million to under 1 million since the 1960s
Hares require open grassland with diverse structure for feeding, resting, and predator avoidance
Leverets (young hares) are particularly vulnerable to agricultural machinery during grass cutting
Grass cutting timing modifications to avoid peak leverets periods would significantly reduce mortality
Hare coursing causes direct welfare harm through chase, injury, and death

Welfare Considerations

Brown hare welfare is threatened by habitat loss and both legal and illegal hunting pressure. Agricultural intensification has removed the hedgerows and field margin diversity that hares depend on. Simple management changes including grass cutting timing and field margin provision could substantially improve hare welfare at landscape scale through individual farmer decisions.

What You Can Do

Support agri-environment schemes providing field margin and habitat diversity for hares
Advocate for agricultural grass cutting timing guidance to protect leverets during peak birth periods
Report illegal hare coursing to police and wildlife crime organizations
Support Brown Hare monitoring programs contributing to population recovery tracking