"At the moment, it is legal to shoot the animals during their breeding season, with pregnant hares left to bleed out, and leverets their young often orphaned as a result. Ministers are also expected to announce the implementation of a ban on trail hunting, where hounds follow a scent rather than pursue a live animal. This was a manifesto commitment, and the new animal welfare strategy that will be announced on Monday is understood to outline a planned legislative pathway to the ban."
"Campaigners have long said the rules need to be tightened because foxes are still often torn to shreds by dogs who are following an artificial fox scent and run into the path of a live animal. The nature minister, Mary Creagh, said: Brown hares are a cherished part of our countryside, an iconic British species, and it's simply wrong that so many are shot during breeding season. I am determined to stop the decline of this wonderful animal."
England will ban shooting brown hares for most of the year and introduce a close season from February to October to protect mothers and leverets. A ban on trail hunting, where hounds follow an artificial scent instead of pursuing live animals, will be implemented through planned legislation. Campaigners cite frequent accidental killings and foxes torn by hounds following artificial scents as reasons to tighten rules. Polling shows strong public support for tighter foxhunting laws and for protecting animal welfare. Brown hare populations in England and Wales have declined by about 80% over the past century, undermining claims of overpopulation.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]