Hunting of Brown Hares

[rlchew]

I was aware that the hunting ban included hare coursing but I did not know that widespread shooting of one of the drastically reduced mammal populations was going on to this extent.

Open season on Britain's hares

How can it be acceptable to shoot such large numbers of a mammal that is apparently second only to the Water Vole as the UK mammal which has shown the greatest decline during the past century?

Habitat loss and degradation is bad enough but shooting 40% of the population each year is outrageous. It also seems totally at odds with the Government's Biodiversity Action Plan which aims for a doubling of the Brown Hare population by the year 2010.

Whilst there are numerous and very welcome conservation success stories in the UK, it seems that there are still some "bad news" stories out there that we may not be aware of.

Richard

[nightshade]

I thought that lack of habitat was the major cause of the Brown Hares decline
I see them regularly around here

[Lance Morgan]

Originally Posted by nightshade

I thought that lack of habitat was the major cause of the Brown Hares decline
I see them regularly around here

Press misinformation again. Hares are locally widespread and numbers have actually increased in some areas. They are also prolific breeders. The main reason for their decline has been loss of habitat and changing farming practices since the war. Shoots and farmers actually do more to preserve habitat for game.

[span130502]

i was always taught that hares were a good indication of the enviroment of that area. i work on a large estate in northumberland and there is a large amount of hares. a friend of mine is farm manager on an organic farm in hampshire and we always see hares when we visit there.

[Walwyn]

Don't know the extent but I see Hares about 4 times a year in the fields behind the village.

[Kayleigh]

Why cant they shoot rabbits,squirrels and rats if they must shoot anything.

[demicav]

Why shoot anything ?? and worse still if it's just for fun. If nature had always been left alone then nature would take care of everything.

[Blackdog]

Originally Posted by Kayleigh

Why cant they shoot rabbits,squirrels and rats if they must shoot anything.

Better yet, why not shoot each other...

[nightshade]

The majority of our wildlife is allowed to flourish on land owned
by people that obtain revenue by leasing out shooting rights
no hunting and it becomes a disney type theme-park
or up market housing NO wildlife

[aeshna5]

Though I personally find the shooting of these mammals distasteful, I accept to some degree that hunting can preserve vital habitat for them + other creatures

What I do strongly disagree with is the fact that there is no close season- when the animals are breeding there should be no persecution, leaving leverets to starve to death.