Hare hunting and coursing continue much as before
Prior to the Hunting Act 2004 around 6,000 hares were killed by packs of dogs per year, 1,000 at formal coursing events and an unknown number by 70,000 greyhounds and lurchers in informal coursing. Had the Act been adequately robust then the removal of these sources of mortality would have helped to prevent fragmentation and subsequent extinction of vulnerable populations, especially in the west.
Scandalously, however, hare hunting and coursing continue much as before the Act, which needs considerable strengthening, to make it fit for purpose.
Rodney Hale - Brown Hare Preservation Trust.
