Hare coursing — the illegal pursuit of hares with dogs — is widespread in the UK, particularly in Eastern England. It causes acute welfare harm to individual hares and is associated with significant rural crime.
Hares coursed by dogs experience extreme fear during extended pursuits that may last minutes. Dogs that catch hares kill them through crushing injury, which may not be instantaneous. Even hares that escape uninjured experience acute stress responses that may affect their condition and reproductive success. The organised nature of illegal hare coursing, involving large groups of vehicles and dogs across farmland, creates widespread disturbance beyond the individual welfare harms of caught individuals.