The hare in Portugal: the lebre-ibérica, a species apart

According to the National Institute for Agrarian and Veterinary Research (INIAV), the lebre-ibérica (Lepus granatensis) is the only hare species found in Portugal, and its range is restricted to part of the Iberian Peninsula^[1][3]. The brown hare (Lepus europaeus), described in our Brown hare profile, is therefore not one of them.

Together with the wild rabbit, the lebre-ibérica is a key species in Mediterranean ecosystems: it is among the prey of the fox, the Iberian lynx, Bonelli's eagle, the Spanish imperial eagle and the eagle owl^[1].

The IUCN lists the species as "Least Concern", but INIAV reports that recent assessments in Spain and Portugal point to population declines of 55 to 75%. The decline began as early as the 1980s, alongside that of the rabbit, driven by the abandonment of traditional farming practices, increased predation, hunting pressure that was at times excessive in relation to numbers, and diseases such as cysticercosis and myxomatosis, which appeared in hares in 2018^[1].

A study published in 2024 measured the effect of this myxomatosis using game bag data: in Portugal, the number of hares harvested fell by 10% in the first season, then by 30.9% in the 2019-2020 season, a less abrupt decline than in some regions of Spain^[2].

The national +Coelho 2 project, led by INIAV, monitors the health of rabbits and hares. In 2019 it detected, for the first time in Portugal, a hare herpesvirus (LeHV-5), initially in animals also affected by myxomatosis in the districts of Setúbal, Portalegre, Beja and Évora^[1].

INIAV asks landowners, managers and hunters to report sick or dead hares and recommends suspending or reducing hare hunting depending on numbers and census results, as many hunting areas have already done^[1]. In Torres Vedras, a breeding centre dedicated to safeguarding the species, now called LEPUS, hosted a vaccination trial for the project in 2021^[3].

Hunting is governed by the framework hunting law and its implementing decree (Decreto-Lei n.º 202/2004). Huntable species, seasons, methods and daily bag limits are set by government order (portaria); the 2021 order notably authorised hare hunting "a corricão", that is, coursing with greyhounds, as well as falconry, and referred to the hunting management and exploitation plans of each hunting area^[5]. We do not reproduce the dates here: consult the order in force.

According to the guidelines of the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), breeding and keeping game in captivity for restocking is only possible on an authorised holding; the application, sent to the ICNF, must state, among other things, where the animals come from. For hares, these guidelines cover only the lebre-ibérica^[4]. For any project, check with the ICNF. Our guide to returning hares to the wild sets out the basic precautions from a French perspective.

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. These are brown hares, a different species from the lebre-ibérica. The photos on this page show the species in its habitat and do not depict our animals.