Wildlife

Wild Hare UK Population Welfare

Brown hare populations have declined dramatically in the UK, with welfare concerns from coursing, habitat loss, and spring cropping practices.

Key Facts

UK brown hare populations declined by 80 percent during the 20th century
Hares are surface-dwelling and rely on grassland and mixed farmland habitat
Leverets are born fully furred but left in grass by their mother, vulnerable to machinery
Coursing with dogs was banned in the UK in 2004 but illegal coursing continues
Hares can reach speeds of 70 km per hour but cannot sustain this pace against modern dogs

Welfare Considerations

Hares subject to illegal coursing experience extreme fear, physical exhaustion, and often fatal injuries. Those living in intensive arable landscapes face chronic habitat scarcity and leverets are killed by machinery.

What You Can Do

Report illegal hare coursing to police and the National Wildlife Crime Unit
Support agri-environment schemes that maintain hare habitat through uncropped field margins
Advocate for stricter enforcement of hare coursing prohibition