Wildlife

Wild Hare UK Advanced Welfare

Advanced hare welfare management addresses the full range of threats from illegal coursing to habitat loss and climate change.

Key Facts

Illegal hare coursing affects thousands of hares annually despite the 2004 hunting ban
Hare population management through shooting requires welfare standards for humane dispatch
Habitat connectivity is essential for dispersal between farmland and grassland areas
Climate change is affecting leverets through cold wet springs and summer drought effects
Legal protection from interference during March to September protects breeding season welfare

Welfare Considerations

Hares subject to illegal coursing experience extreme fear, physical exhaustion, and painful death from dog injuries. Those in areas with inadequate habitat face nutritional stress and leverets face machinery mortality during agricultural operations.

What You Can Do

Report illegal hare coursing to police immediately on 999
Support agri-environment schemes that maintain hare habitat through uncropped field margins
Advocate for stricter enforcement of hare coursing prohibition and habitat protection