Populations experienced a continuing decline in suitable habitat due to increasing agriculture, flood control, and human development. It is therefore listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1986.

Are hares endangered in the UK?

There once used to be 4 million brown hares across Britain, the last estimate put their populations at around 700,000. In some areas of the country conservationists say they are locally extinct and after the water vole they claim it is the second British mammal to have suffered the greatest decline in the last century.

Are hares protected in UK?

Both species of hare found in Scotland – the brown hare and the mountain hare – are protected by law.