Why does the Act ban hare coursing but exempt rabbit hunting?
Rabbits are a pest in most parts of the country. Rabbit populations grow very rapidly during the breeding season and farmers wish to control them to prevent serious damage to their crops. Many rabbits are shot, rather than taken with dogs, but the use of dogs provides a relatively humane means of controlling them – more humane and efficient than other methods which can result in greater suffering. Rabbit hunting does not involve the use of large packs of dogs or a significant or prolonged chase element (the rabbit is either caught and dispatched quickly by the much larger dog, through a single bite to the neck, or it goes to ground immediately in a hole which the dog cannot enter). Hunting rabbits is also a traditional means of gathering food. The animal welfare agencies have accepted that there is a case for hunting rabbits and have not pressed for its inclusion in the ban. By contrast, hares are seldom a significant pest, and where they are shooting is used to a large extent to deal
