ANIMAL charities have welcomed an end to snaring mountain hares in Scotland, after Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) confirmed it is no longer issuing licences.
An SNH review, published earlier this month, stated: ‘Concerns have been raised with SNH over the welfare impacts of snaring hares to the effect that it is difficult to advise on a method of snaring that does not cause unnecessary suffering – that they cannot be used effectively as a killing trap because animals take too long to die, and are not effective as a restraining means because there is too high a risk of killing or injury.
‘The lack of any apparent means or guidance to avoid this means that SNH will not be minded to issue licences unless the contrary can be evidenced.’