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Article: Hare today, gone tomorrow?
- Article from:
- Belfast Telegraph
- Article date:
- October 17, 2009
CopyrightCopyright 2009 Belfast Telegraph. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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BROWN hares spreading through Northern Ireland's countryside may
have to be culled if the native Irish hare is to survive.
That's the warning from wildlife experts at Queen's University,
Belfast, who insist the Irish hare is facing a threat at least as
bad as that which red squirrels face from their non-native grey
cousins.
Native Irish hares have almost vanished from some parts of
Northern Ireland -- in particular, a broad stretch across mid-
Ulster -- and culling of competing brown hares may be the only way
to stem the losses, according to Dr Neil Reid of Quercus at Queen's.
Like red squirrels, which are being pushed out by competition
from larger grey squirrels, Irish hares are also being ...