Brown Hare

‘Mad as a March hare’ is a familiar expression, but one which means little to many young people. Few people fortunate enough to have seen a group of these surprisingly large creatures bouncing like boxing kangaroos across the frost-dusted grass will forget it however . . .

Sadly, these wonderful creatures are in serious decline, particularly along the Marches. A century ago there were an estimated four million, distributed comparatively evenly across the country. Since then, however, they have gone into a long-term decline and today numbers stand at barely 20% of their former numbers. This decline has been at its most marked in marginal and upland areas such as those along the Marches.
This is largely because they need rough pasture to provide enough cover for the two or three litters that the does produce each year. The ideal conditions are created by cattle, because they browse by wrapping their tongues around clumps of grass, leaving plenty of cover in which the hares can lie up. This is vital for a species which spends its entire life in the open. Not surprisingly, they are particularly vulnerable during their first few weeks to a wide range of predators, including stoats, crows, buzzards and kites, but the fox is the biggest threat.
Unfortunately, the sheep that dominate agriculture along most of Wales and the Marches are bad news for hares. This is because ‘woolly maggots’ nip the grass off close to the ground, leaving little cover from natural and human enemies. The shift from hay to silage is another problem. Hares find lush young grass irresistible both as food and a place to hide their young. When this is cut it spells disaster for the leverets which are programmed to lie motionless when threatened.
One might have thought that, living out in the open, it would be easy to study the creatures, but unfortunately, there is a surprising lack of information about the species. Until recently, for example, scientists thought the cavorting March hares were bucks fighting over a doe, but now we know they are as likely to be does scrapping over the best territory in which to bring up their young.
Our ignorance even extends to their origins. Until recently they were regarded as true natives – unlike the introduced rabbit – but research has revealed a 10,000-year gap in the fossil record and now experts believe they were reintroduced, probably by the Romans.
But while we may have much to learn about their behaviour, hares have long played an important part in country folklore. The Celts worshipped them and during the Middle Ages they were associated with witchcraft and magic, frequently being cited as witches ‘familiars’ or alternative forms. As a result, even today many country people will not eat hare – although the meat is as rich and tasty as venison. But then, given the recent decline, perhaps that is just as well.

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