Wildlife

Wild Brown Hare Welfare and Decline

Brown hare populations have declined by 80% in the UK since 1960, and individuals face welfare challenges from coursing, agricultural intensification, and disease.

Key Facts

UK brown hare populations have fallen from an estimated 4 million to under 800,000
Hare coursing - using dogs to chase hares - was banned in 2004 but illegal coursing continues
Leverets are born fully furred in the open with no nest protection, making them vulnerable to farming operations
European brown hare syndrome (EBHS) is a viral disease that can cause mass mortality events
Autumn cereal drilling timing affects survival of young hares in agricultural landscapes

Welfare Considerations

Brown hares face welfare harms from multiple sources. Illegal coursing subjects them to extended pursuit by sight hounds, causing extreme fear and often fatal injuries. Agricultural operations during spring and summer kill leverets that cannot escape machinery. EBHS causes acute haemorrhagic disease with rapid death. The reduction in tussocky grassland and hedge cover removes the shelter habitat hares require for thermoregulation and predator avoidance.

What You Can Do

Report suspected illegal hare coursing to police wildlife crime officers
Support the League Against Cruel Sports in monitoring and reporting hare coursing
Advocate for autumn-sown cereal timing reviews to protect hare populations
Support agri-environment schemes that create hare-friendly field margins
Donate to the Hare Preservation Trust and Brown Hare Conservation Network