8/6/2019 Hare Today Spring Summer 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/hare-today-spring-summer-2011 1/2

 Welcome to the first newly designed issue of ‘Hare Today’. I hope all 

Trust members find this an attractive, entertaining and informative read.

Sophie Singleton 

During the spring of 2010, I experienced

the wonder and fascination of hand

rearing three abandoned brown hare

leverets. Watching these captivating

creatures develop from tiny, vulnerable

babies to flourishing adolescents was an

incredibly inspiring opportunity.

The Hare Preservation Trust provided

invaluable advice during the hand rearing

process, which resulted in the successful

release of one female leveret to her

natural countryside habitat.

Following this experience, the brown

hare became the subject of my university

dissertation as I investigated the impact

of ‘love’ and ‘loss’ messages inenvironmental conservation.

Trust founder, Rodney Hale, has since

generously provided me with the

opportunity to resurrect ‘Hare Today’.

I hope you find it as enjoyable to read as 

it has been to design! 

Ima e: So hie Sin letonImage: Sophie Singleton

Biofuel crop, Miscanthus grass could

provide farmers with an economically

viable, hare friendly alternative to

traditional hay meadows.

A low maintenance species requiring only

twice yearly harvesting, elephant grass

could provide a refuge for the recovery of

brown hare populations.

An ongoing study by the University of

Hull aims to assess the impact of

monoculture biofuel crops on hare

behaviour. Radio collars will aid the

tracking of hares on Yorkshire farmland

and generate a picture of their

agricultural landscape use, including theavoidance or selection of crop types. It is

hoped the data collected will allow the

potential impact of widespread biofuel

planting upon hare populations to be

predicted.

Heavy, lingering snow throughout

November and December of 2010

hampered efforts to monitor mountain

hare populations in upland Scotland.

The severe weather conditions have

also been blamed for displacing many

hares from their usual territories to more

sheltered locations. Numbers are

currently estimated through a captureand release method, alongside dung

surveying, however success rates are

strongly influenced by the weather.

Surveys of mountain hares form part of

a continuous conservation monitoring

programme.

You can directly help the Hare Preservation Trust in many ways. If you have seen a hare please consider completing our sightingform. Reporting a hare sighting can help us to build up knowledge of habitats preferred by hares and will improve our ability to offer

land management advice in areas where they are scarce. Please visit our website for a recording form.

The Hare Preservation Trust continues to seek sympathetic MP’s willing to adopt an Early Day Motion striving for the legal protection

of hares. If you know a wildlife friendly MP we would be delighted to hear from you. Please see page 2 for contact details.

Image: bbc.co.uk

8/6/2019 Hare Today Spring Summer 2011

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‘Receding Hareline’by Harry Triggs

Ronnie Wood

Inspired by a young girl’s drawing of a hare following a life saving operation at

Great Ormond Street Hospital, a collection of prominent artists and celebrities

have created a range of over 200 canvases. Each original printed or painted

design incorporates a stylised hare. Paintings include, ‘Receding Hareline’,

and ‘Brown Hare’, with contributions from Ronnie Wood, Cherie Blair and Sir

Alex Ferguson. An online exhibition and auction aims to fund the creation of

two new operating theatres at Great Ormond Street. The ‘Hare Styling’

collection can also be viewed at the Heartbreak gallery in Marylebone. For

more information, including the opportunity to place a bid on a canvas, please

visit www.harestyling.com

Just a few of the names used in a 13th century

incantation, The Names of the Hare.

Image: Sophie Singleton

Image: The Telegraph

Can you think of a clever or witty caption

to match this photograph?

If so please email your suggestions. The best

entries will feature in the next issue!

This cheeky hare was originally snapped at

Slimbridge Wetlands Centre in 2009 and

featured in The Telegraph.

HARE PRESERVATION TRUSTWorking for the preservation and welfare of hares  

PO Box 4502, Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 0AW Tel: 07800 584 885 (evenings). 

Email: brownharepreservation@btopenworld.com Website: www.hare-preservation-trust.co.uk

A recent holiday in the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural

Beauty, would not have been complete without a visit to Bleasdale.

Surrounded by stunning countryside, the Bleasdale Cottages run by Robert and

Anne Gardener provide award winning holiday accommodation and an ideal

ocation for hare lovers. The farmland supports a thriving brown hare population

and featured in the July 2007 edition of the BBC Wildlife magazine.

During my short visit, I was lucky enough to see four adult hares whilst drivingalong the farm track. Although unhappy about having their photographs taken,

he hares willingly showed off their extraordinary ability to run away and

disappear! Given the evident abundance of subjects, spending longer amongst

he vegetation could yield very successful results for photographers and artists

alike.

On arrival at the holiday cottages, Anne Gardener generously agreed to show me

around the aptly named Hare House accommodation. A visit comes highly

recommended and hare sightings are guaranteed!