WildCare Articles
The Brown Hare – Lepus europaeus
 It is thought the brown hare originated in Asia and then spread westwards into Continental Europe but did not reach Britain before it was cut off from the rest of Europe by the formation of the English Channel approximately 7,500 years ago. It seems likely the brown hare was introduced to Britain by the Romans, around 2,000 years ago. The species is now widespread across the United Kingdom and absent only from northern Scotland. Brown hares were introduced to Ireland for sport in the 19th century but their distribution in the wild appears to have been limited by competition from the native Irish hare (Lepus timidus hibernicus), which is a subspecies of the mountain hare.
Statistics
The brown hare is significantly larger than its cousin the rabbit and an adult male may reach a head and body length of around 70cm (27.5 ins), compared to less than 50cm (19.5 ins) for a male rabbit. An adult male brown hare can reach 5kg (11lbs) in weight, whereas a rabbit will seldom exceed 2.2kg (5lbs).
In captivity hares can live up to 12 years but in the wild they seldom survive more than 4.
The brown hare is built for speed and can reach 72 km/h (45 mph). In addition to its speed, the brown hare will also swerve in a zigzag fashion to avoid predators. The brown hare holds the record as the fastest British land animal.
Diet
Brown hares eat mainly grasses in winter and herbs during the summer but they will also eat cereal and root crops as well as buds, twigs and tree bark.
Habitat
Brown hares prefer temperate, open habitat and are most frequently encountered in flat country among open grassland or arable fields. They use hedgerows and woodland for resting during the day.
Unlike the rabbit, brown hares do not dig burrows and live their entire life above ground. When resting, hares scrape a shallow depression or 'form' in which they lie. If threatened a hare will lie perfectly still, hoping that its camouflaged coat will prevent detection but if an enemy comes too close it will leap up and run away at full speed.
Breeding
Brown hares can breed at any time of year but usually between January and October. Spring is the main mating season and this is when 'mad March hares' may be seen 'boxing' and chasing in the fields. The males (jacks) are most active during these contests, as they struggle to determine social dominance. The females (jills) do however get involved as a prelude to mating.
Two or three young (leverets) are born in a grass-lined form, usually in an area of long grass. The young are born fully furred and with their eyes open (unlike rabbits, which are born naked and helpless in their burrow). It is normal for the leverets to be left unattended through the day, with the mother returning to suckle them at dusk. Should the young be found it is therefore important to leave them undisturbed - they have almost certainly not been abandoned.
The young are independent from about three weeks of age but will take eight months to reach adult weight. A female can produce three or four litters during a year.
Natural Predators
Although foxes, stoats, buzzards and owls will take leverets, the adult brown hare is usually fast and agile enough to escape from most natural enemies.
Status
It is estimated there were about four million brown hares in Britain during the 1800s but recent surveys suggest this population has declined by up to 80%. Although a general loss of suitable habitat is a factor it is likely that modern mechanised farming methods have played a part in this reduction too. The hare's instinct to 'sit tight' when threatened can be exactly the wrong tactic when farm machinery approaches. The fact that leverets are left in long grass and also instinctively freeze when threatened, adds to the casualty rate.
Concern about declining numbers has led to a government Biodiversity Action Plan, which includes amongst its aims the doubling of brown hare numbers by 2010.
During the first round of visits the WildCare assessors recorded sightings of just under 170 brown hares across the Waitrose Select Farm pool. As with all species recovery plans, it will be a few years before we can confirm a true trend but the news thus far certainly appears positive and numbers seen on Select Farms are holding or increasing. Currently the farm with the biggest population seems to be in Dorset but farms in Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset are also clearly strongholds for the brown hare. Smaller populations are also evident on pool farms in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire and Stirlingshire.
How Farmers Can Help the Brown Hare
- Try to break up large blocks of cereal crops with grassland areas
- In arable fields, retain wide field margins where the grass is allowed to grow long and provide shelter for resting adults and for young. Ideally, leave grassy strips within the field too
- In grassland, retain areas where the grass is allowed to grow long for leverets to hide in
- When making silage, cut the field from the centre outwards to give hares (and other wildlife) the best chance of escaping to neighbouring fields
- Leave stubble over winter to provide shelter
01/06/2008
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