Problems of reintroduction and introduction of hares (Leporidae) in the Russian Federation

Biodiversity is not only the wealth and beauty of our world, it is the interdependence and mutual influence of all its parts on each other. Hares are a kind of link in the ecosystem. In the wild, they are an essential element of the food chain and zoochory. In territories where there are many of them, they invade fields, gardens and vegetable gardens, becoming, together with rodents, a threat to crop production. The struggle of farmers to preserve the harvest sometimes negatively affects the size of the hare population, which, in turn, causes losses to the hunting industry [26]. Epizootics and helminthiasis are a serious limitation of the number. Hares can be dangerous as carriers of zooanthroponoses: tularemia, brucellosis, rabies, etc.; zoonoses: paratuberculosis (all types are sick), brown liver syndrome of the European hare (EBHS). In addition, they can get sick and carry myxomatosis and viral hemorrhagic disease of rabbits (VHD). The article attempts to analyze the possible reasons for the decrease in the number of this species and identify possible risks associated with the reintroduction of the hare in territories where, according to hunting experts, it is scarce, as well as the consequences of hybridization and introduction of subspecies not typical for this area.