A DOSSIER released to the Daily Post by undercover RSPCA observers last night revealed 13 hares died during the three-day Waterloo Cup.
That includes seven killed during a total 32 "slips" (races) on Tuesday, and three killed on each subsequent day.
But supporters last night disputed the RSPCA figures, claiming eleven hares died.
They accused "the antis" of counting any hare that disappears as dead. Rules state that greyhounds, released in pairs to chase a single hare during each slip, are awarded points for their skill in making the hares change direction. Heather Holmes, spokeswoman for the RSPCA said: "These figures show quite clearly that hares are killed.
"The dispatch times show that they do not die quickly and cleanly, and the response of the crowd when a hare is killed is jubilant. We hope this will be the last time our officers will have to attend."
But Countryside Alliance spokeswoman Liz Mort said: "The RSPCA figures show an average of about one in eight hares died this year, which isn't great but it's not as bad as it has been in other years."
She insisted: "The point is not to kill the hare, because the dogs don't get any more points for catching a hare so whether they are killed or not has no bearing on the success."
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