Stray lurcher rise sparks hare-coursing concern

Wiltshire Council said it had seen a 200% increase in stray lurchers since 2023

A council has said it has seen a large increase in stray lurcher dogs being rescued in the past three years.

Wiltshire Council said more than 20 lurchers, predominately associated with hare coursing, had been picked up this year compared to six dogs in 2022.

Hare coursing is the illegal pursuit of hares by dogs and is judged by how closely the lurchers can follow the twists and turns of the animal as it tries to escape.

Sebastian Williams, from Wiltshire Council, said it was likely that the stray lurchers that had been found were involved in hare coursing due to their injuries, such as open wounds or broken legs.

Hare coursing sees dogs chasing hares across rural fields.

It has become the "sport of choice" for criminal gangs, with speeding vehicles driven by men in balaclavas sweeping through the countryside.

Wiltshire Police said there had been a rise in arrests related to hare coursing this year.

Current sentencing guidelines for hare coursing allow unlimited fines and a maximum of six months in prison but most are not caught.

Farmers have said people taking part in the illegal sport are putting farmers' safety and livelihoods at risk.

Tim Carson, a farmer in the area, said: "They are just driving anywhere across the fields and they sink in and churn up the ground where the crops don't really recover."

Mr Williams said all lurchers collected by the council were thought to be linked to hare coursing

Of the 20 dogs abandoned over the summer, only three have been claimed.

Mr Williams, the dog and animal control officer at the council, said this was because the dogs serve as physical evidence of an owner's involvement in the illegal sport.

Any claim of ownership would then lead to their identity being passed onto the police.

He said: "We have to deal with the fallout from hare coursing - the dogs left behind."

Inspector Andy Lemon, from Wiltshire Police, said seven arrests linked to hare coursing had been made in the past four weeks.

He said: "Yes it's against the law to hunt animals with dogs but the problem's far bigger than that.

"It's the disruption to the local community and the damage that they cause and the violence and hostility to those that challenge them."