The brown hare was introduced into Britain during Roman times. Unlike the introduced rabbit, the hare does not use burrows but lives and breeds above ground, living in a small scraped-out hollow known as a 'form'. The does (females) bear up to four litters (more usually two) of two to four leverets (young) each year.

They are born above ground with a full coat of fur. The brown hare lives in well-defined territories on open downland and farmland in the lowlands of Britain. They feed mainly on grass, roots, bark and the produce of farms and gardens and require this diversity of food. The blue or mountain hare is slightly smaller than the Brown Hare and lives in the mountainous areas of Scotland, the Peak District and North Wales. During the winter their coats turn white, camouflaging them against the snow.

Hares have excellent hearing, sight and sense of smell which are required as they have many predators, especially when young, including foxes, stoats, raptors and owls.

Unfortunately, over recent decades, our hare population has declined dramatically, mainly due to modern intensive farming methods. Concern over their numbers has led the brown hare being included on the list of vulerable and rapidly declining species for which a UK Biodiversity Action Plan has been written.

And yet, perversely, there are a minority of people who are still allowed to get their "fun" from hunting and coursing these fascinating creatures. Hares are given some protection under the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and under various Game Acts. Although there is no closed for killing hares, the Hares Preservation Act 1892 makes it an offence to sell hares between the months of March and June inclusive. Along with other game species, it is also illegal to kill hares on a Sunday or on Christmas Day.
  

Harehunting has the same purpose as the now illegal bloodsports of dogfighting, bear baiting and badger baiting to provide amusement for a minority of human beings. Hares are hunted by packs of three different types of hounds some 100 packs of beagles, 10 packs of bassets and 40 packs of harriers. The beagles and bassets are followed on foot, harriers on horseback.

The harehunting season starts in September/October and ends in March/April so as not to interfere with harvesting, sowing etc. As with all hunting with dogs, the victim is beaten not by speed, but stamina. Superior speed gives the hare the initial advantage, however the superior stamina of the hounds wears the hare down to exhaustion.

Hunting enthusiasts judge a pack of dogs to be 'well-bred' if they take 60-90 minutes to run the hare to exhaustion and kill it. Any less time is reckoned to detract from the 'fun' of the hunt.

When first hunted and fresh, hares run in large circles, reluctant to leave their home range, but as they tire they take a straighter line. The hare is then simply overwhelmed by the hounds and killed.

These simple facts clearly prove that unnecessary suffering is inflicted on the hare solely for the purpose of providing amusement.
 

Population and Management and Control

"There is little or no need to control overall hare numbers and, indeed, they are a Biodiversity Action Plan species. However, the distribution of hares is uneven: they are abundant in some areas, mainly in the east of England, and scarce in much of Wales and the West Country. Hare hunting and coursing are essentially carried out for recreational purposes and have a relatively small direct impact on hare numbers. A ban would therefore have little effect in practice on agriculture or other interests." (5.94)

It goes on to say "Because hare numbers tend to be maintained at high levels in areas where hunting/coursing occurs, the impact of a ban might well be that, in the absence of other changes, the population would decline in those areas. This would partly result from a loss of suitable habitat but also, in a few areas, from the shooting of hares to deter poaching and illegal coursing. However, in comparison with the impact of organised shooting on hare numbers, a ban on hare hunting and coursing would have a negligible effect." (5.95)