The hare in Andorra: a high-mountain small game species

The hare found in Andorra is the brown hare (Lepus europaeus). In the Catalan-speaking area, the species occupies every altitudinal zone, from the Mediterranean lowlands to alpine meadows: in summer, it is found as high as the high mountains, and in winter it moves back down to the forest zone.^[5] In Andorra, where most of the land is mountainous, it is therefore a hare of high-altitude grasslands and woodland edges, very different from the hare of the great farming plains.

For its biology, see our entry on the brown hare.

We have not found any public series of hare population figures or game bags specific to Andorra. The official documents consulted mainly detail the monitoring of the chamois, the only species explicitly subject to a hunting plan based on population parameters.^[1] For any data on the hare, contact the ministry responsible for the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock.

The consolidated text of the 2021 hunting law provided that the opening, closing and hunting days are set every year by the ministry responsible for hunting.^[1] The Govern sums it up as follows: annual ministerial orders establish the hunting plans and the season.^[2] The implementing regulations of the former law listed the hare among the huntable species, with bag limits per hunter per day.^[4] We reproduce neither dates nor limits: consult the ministerial order for the current season.

This framework was replaced by Law 18/2024 on hunting, then by new hunting regulations presented by the Govern, drawn up with the Andorran Hunting and Fishing Federation and more than 250 of the country's hunters.^[3] These regulations notably create the hunting licence, which replaces the former hunter's card, and regulate the sale of venison, with traceability ensured by the Cos de Banders, the ranger corps responsible for enforcing hunting rules.^[3]

The 2021 consolidated text allowed the Govern to draw up each year a plan of measures for restocking game species. It prohibited the use of animals poorly adapted to conditions in Andorra or likely to cause genetic pollution or a health risk to native wildlife, and made any restocking subject to prior authorisation from the ministry; unauthorised restocking constituted a serious offence.^[1] Transport and import of game were governed by the regulations.^[1]

These rules may have changed with Law 18/2024: before any project, check with the Ministeri de Medi Ambient, Agricultura i Ramaderia. Our general principles are set out in our guide to returning hares to the wild.

GIBIS, a game breeder based in Chatte, in the Isère department of France, raises young hares there and also offers wild-caught hares from Central Europe: see our hares. This page is for information only: it is neither an offer nor legal advice for Andorra.