Professor Diana Bell at the University of East Anglia, based in the species’ regional stronghold, is currently investigating the causes of this mass die-off. I saw the body of one victim last summer, hidden among tall, bitter clumps of artemisia, stretched out as if in full sprint. Hares across the UK have been dying from mysterious new viral illnesses, including a form of hepatitis more commonly found in rabbits. Changes in land management practices have created better habitats, especially as several farms have abandoned intensive dairy production and the relentless spring silage cutting that entails.ĭisease is the main challenge now to these solitary nocturnal creatures. While hare numbers are in decline nationally, they have been slowly increasing here in the vale. There is evidence that they were used for divinatory practices – most famously, the one that Boudicca kept in the folds of her cloak and released before battle as an augury. It was thought that the direction the hare ran indicated the course of victory. Brown hares (Lepus europeaeus) came to Britain from across the North Sea during the iron age, more than 2,000 years ago.

Hearts of iron 4 uncut