Wildlife Welfare

Wild Brown Hare Welfare Advanced

Advanced understanding of brown hare welfare encompasses the specific physiological and behavioural adaptations that make hares particularly vulnerable to human impacts during key life history stages.

Key Facts

Brown hares give birth to fully furred, open-eyed leverets that are left alone during the day
Leverets scatter after birth and reunite with the doe only briefly at dusk for nursing
Grass cutting during May-June frequently kills leverets who cannot flee or hide effectively
Hares have exceptionally sensitive hearing and sight, making human disturbance intensely stressful
High-speed pursuit by coursing dogs triggers extreme physiological stress responses in hares

Welfare Considerations

Hares are physiologically adapted for escape from predation and experience extreme stress during pursuit. The scatter behaviour of leverets that evolved to avoid mammalian predators provides no protection against agricultural machinery. Understanding hare-specific welfare vulnerabilities - leveret mortality from machinery and extreme stress from coursing - informs targeted welfare interventions that reduce species-specific suffering.

What You Can Do

Check areas for leverets before grass cutting in May and June
Support agri-environment schemes that delay cutting to protect leveret welfare
Report illegal hare coursing to rural crime teams