ALTHOUGH able to run at 45mph, hares can cover up to five miles in their efforts to escape from a pack of dogs bred for stamina rather than speed.

Vet John Campbell says: "Extreme exercise, fuelled by adrenalin, uses up all available sugar (glycogen) in the body which then defaults to other available sources of energy and starts to metabolise protein and fats and indulges in anaerobic metabolism as a last resort.

"This causes a build-up of lactic acid in the bloodstream which causes a breakdown of tissues, especially the muscles which, ironically, release chemicals that damage other tissues, especially the kidneys, but also the heart muscle."

Myopathy may be displayed in captured and even restrained, especially wild, animals as their fight-or-flight reaction is triggered. Severe tissue damage can lead to death at varying lengths of time from the incident that triggered it — within hours if the heart muscle is affected. More likely the time scale is a number of days, but for the victim the end is an unpleasant one with stiffening of the muscles, etc.

Any wild animal chased over long distances will inevitably suffer from myopathy.

John Rimington BSc

National Press Officer

Hare Preservation Trust