An investigation into illegal hare coursing highlights how criminal networks are openly selling dogs bred and trained to chase down and kill hares, with organisers using them to stage unlawful coursing events across the countryside. The practice, which is illegal in the UK, is reportedly being organised by gangs who trespass on farmland and intimidate landowners into allowing or tolerating the gatherings, raising concerns for rural communities and animal welfare.

Hare coursing involves dogs, typically greyhound-type breeds, chasing hares often to the point of savaging them, and has been banned in England and Wales since the Hunting Act 2004. The report describes coursing gangs invading private farmland without permission and using threats or intimidation against farmers and landowners who object, alongside a trade in coursing dogs conducted brazenly despite the activity's illegality. The full details of specific incidents, locations and enforcement responses were not fully available in the source material provided.