Wildlife Welfare

Wild Brown Hare Winter Welfare

Brown hares face their greatest welfare challenges in winter when food is scarce. Understanding their needs helps conservation and countryside management.

Key Facts

Hares are herbivores that graze on grasses, herbs, and bark in winter
Winter crops provide essential grazing but chemical applications reduce diversity
Winter cover strips support hare foraging when grazing is limited
Hares do not hibernate and remain active through the coldest weather
UK populations have declined by approximately 75% since the 1960s

Welfare Considerations

Individual hares in landscapes without diverse winter food suffer nutritional stress during the coldest months. Winter cover strips, retention of rough vegetation, and reduced pesticide use all support food availability for hares when natural diversity is at its lowest. Individual hare welfare and population recovery are both served by countryside management that maintains year-round food resources.

What You Can Do

Support agri-environment schemes that provide hare winter foraging habitat
Advocate for cover strip retention in winter crop management
Record brown hare sightings for population monitoring purposes
Learn about hare ecology and the farmland management that supports them