The hare in Spain: three species, hunting managed by the regions

The Iberian hare occupies most of the peninsula, except for a northern strip running from northern León and western Asturias to the mouth of the Ebro^[1]. Three subspecies are recognised, including one specific to Galicia and one to the island of Mallorca^[1]. Its densities vary greatly with habitat, from about 80 animals per km² in Andalusian olive groves to 22 in intensive cereal fields in León^[1].

It is a highly prized small game species: the Atlas of Terrestrial Mammals of Spain stated that more than a million hares were harvested there every year^[1]. The authors cite among the threats the homogenisation of crops, overhunting, pesticides, poaching and roads^[1].

In Spain, the brown hare occupies only the north, from the Catalan coast north of the Ebro to central Asturias, and from the plateaus of Burgos and Palencia to the French border^[2]. It is scarce across most of its range and has disappeared from several areas, including parts of the Basque Country, Navarre and the Catalan coast^[2].

The same species account reports restocking with captive-bred hares or hares from natural European populations, some of low viability, and lists "unsuitable restocking" among the threats, particularly for health reasons^[2]. For the species' biology, see our entry Brown hare.

The broom hare lives only in the Cantabrian Mountains, in a strip about 230 km long between the Sierra de los Ancares and the Sierra de Peña Labra, at altitudes of 1,000 to 1,900 m, in broom and heather scrub^[3]. It is classified as "vulnerable" in Spain as well as on the IUCN global Red List (2006 assessment cited by the Atlas)^[3].

Hunting it is closed in Asturias, save for very occasional exceptions, while León and Cantabria take only a few hundred a year^[3]. The Atlas states that no restocking has been carried out with this species or with other hares within its range^[3].

In summer 2018, abnormal mortality among Iberian hares was reported on hunting grounds in the province of Córdoba, then in Jaén and Cuenca^[5]. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, myxomatosis, a rabbit disease, had never before been detected in the Iberian hare; by September 2018, areas in eight provinces of Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha were affected^[5]. The disease is not transmissible to humans^[5].

It is the autonomous communities that issue hunting licences and manage hunting grounds and reserves, most cotos being private^[4]. Hunting seasons and arrangements are therefore set region by region. The 2019 national statistics record a fall in hare captures compared with 2018 and put the province of Badajoz in first place, with 9% of captures^[4]. For the introduction or translocation of live hares, check with the hunting service of the autonomous community concerned.

The principles of a successful return to the wild are presented on our page on 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.