Brown Hares & Leverets
Hares are Leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares are classified as the same family as Rabbits and have similar herbivorous diets but generally live alone or in pairs. They have long black tipped ears and can run up to 45miles per hour when trying to evade a predator.
The Brown Hare is most common in grassland habitats and woodland edges. They do not live in burrows but instead shelter in ‘forms’, which is a depression in the ground or grass.
Brown Hares give birth in the spring to usually 2-4 young called ‘Leverets’. Leverets are born above ground and fully furred with their eyes open. Their mother normally only visit them once or twice a day to feed them leaving them alone the rest of the time. It is very important NOT to touch any Leverets you may come across, even ones at a few days old will be left unattended for long periods of time. The mother may reject the young if you put your scent on it. If you see a Leveret and are worried its mother has been injured or killed please get advice before removing it from the wild.
Even in experienced hands hand rearing Leverets is fraught with problems and their best chance of survival is with their mothers.