Wildlife

Wild Brown Hare Leverets and Agricultural Risk

Brown hare leverets born in agricultural fields are highly vulnerable to machinery during silage and cereal harvesting operations.

Key Facts

Hares give birth to leverets in surface forms in open fields
Leverets are precocial but remain in the form for the first weeks of life
Silage mowing and cereal harvesting kill significant numbers of leverets annually
Dawn surveys and slower mowing speeds reduce leveret mortality
Hares have declined by 80% in the UK over 50 years

Welfare Considerations

Leverets killed by agricultural machinery die from traumatic injury, often not immediately. Field surveys before mowing and reduced machinery speed allow many leverets to escape. This is a preventable welfare harm on a significant scale.

What You Can Do

Encourage farmers to conduct pre-mow checks for hare forms
Support agri-environment schemes benefiting brown hare populations
Report hare sightings to local wildlife surveys