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Factors associated with hare mortality during coursing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

N Reid ,
RA McDonald  and
WI Montgomery
N Reid*
Affiliation:
Quercus, Queen's University Belfast, School of Biological Sciences, Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK
RA McDonald
Affiliation:
Central Science Library, Sand Hutton, York YO41 1LZ, UK
WI Montgomery
Affiliation:
Quercus, Queen's University Belfast, School of Biological Sciences, Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: neil.reid@qub.ac.uk
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Abstract

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Hare coursing is a widespread but controversial activity. In an attempt to reduce hare mortality and mitigate the activity's impact on hare welfare, the Irish Coursing Club introduced measures including the compulsory muzzling of dogs in 1993. However, the efficacy of these measures remained the subject of heated debate. Official records, corroborated by independent video evidence, were used to assess the fate of individual Irish hares (Lepus timidus hibernicus) during coursing events from 1988-2004. Muzzling dogs significantly reduced levels of hare mortality. In courses using unmuzzled dogs from 1988/89-1992/93 mean hare mortality was 15.8%, compared to 4.1% in courses using muzzled dogs from 1993/94-2003/04. Further reductions in mortality could not be accounted for by muzzling dogs, supporting the efficacy of other factors such as improved hare husbandry. The duration of the head start given to the hare prior to the release of the dogs significantly affected the outcome of the course. Hares that were killed had head starts of greater duration than those that were chased but survived, suggesting the former may have been slower. The selection of hares by assessment of their running ability may provide means to reduce hare mortality during courses further. Our findings support the efficacy of measures taken to mitigate the impact of coursing on individual hares. However, it is necessary to evaluate the impact of removing hares from the source population and of returning coursed hares to the wild before the wider impact of coursing on wild hare populations can be determined.

Keywords

animal welfarefield sportshunting with dogsLepus timidusmountain harewelfare
Type
Articles
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 16 , Issue 4 , November 2007 , pp. 427 - 434
Copyright
© 2007 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

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