After reading Rodney Hales' letter (Your Letters, December 31), I visited his Brown Hare Preservation Society website and found it most interesting.

I followed his own link to stress myopathy, the phenomenon which he claims causes hares to die a few days after they escape from pursuing hounds, and discovered that the evidence for his proposition is gathered from netted hares used for enclosed coursing in Ireland.

The key factor is that the hare is confined in an unfamiliar and stressful environment, hence the proper name for the condition - capture myopathy.

The hunting of hares in their natural environment, as practised by the Leadon Vale Bassets, is completely different.

The Vetinerary Association for Wildlife Management says that in this kind of hunting "quarry that evades hounds rapidly returns to normal activity."

It's a shame Mr Hale chooses to stretch this research to suit his own prejudices when he should be working with the beagle, basset and harrier packs to further hare conservation.

Paul Hemingway, Leadon Vale Basset Hounds.