The Hispid Hare primarily occupies tracts of early successional tall grasslands, locally termed "elephant grass" (Bell et al. 1990). During the dry season, most grassy areas are subject to burning, and the rabbits take refuge in marshy areas or grasses adjacent to river banks that are not susceptible to burning (Bell et al. 1990). Hispid Hares consume about 20 species of plant, but concentrate their diet on Kans (Saccharum spontaneum) and Cogon Grass (Imperata cylindrica) (Aryal et al. 2012).

The limited information available on reproduction indicates that the Hispid Hare probably has a small average litter size (Bell et al. 1990). It exhibits crepuscular behaviour (Jordan et al. 2005).

Knowledge of the distribution of the Hispid Hare has always been limited. The historic range of the species extended along the foothill region of the southern Himalayas from Uttar Pradesh through southern Nepal, the northern region of West Bengal to Assam, and into Bangladesh as far south as Dacca (Bell et al. 1990). The current distribution in South Asia is sporadic, including the countries of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Bhutan (Jordan et al. 2005, Yadav et al. 2008, Aryal et al. 2012, Tandan et al. 2013, Nath and Machary 2015, Nidup et al. 2015, Khadka et al. 2017). While its extent of occurrence is estimated to be 188,316 km², this belies its highly fragmented occurrence and highly specialized habitat that is under threat from numerous factors. Recent observations (within the past 10 years) have only been made in Shuklaphanta National Park, Bardia National Park, Chitwan National Park (Nepal), Jaldapara National Park and Manas National Park (India) and Royal Manas National Park (Bhutan) (Yadav et al. 2008, Aryal et al. 2012, Tandan et al. 2013, Nath and Machary 2015, Nidup et al. 2015, Khadka et al. 2017). Within each of these parks only small areas of grassland habitat are suitable for the Hispid Hare, and most surveys are only successful at finding occupancy, in small numbers, in a small percentage of potential habitat. The number of locations where extant Hispid Hare populations have been located in the past 10 years, as evidenced by the recent literature, is significantly less than the number of those identified by Bell et al. (1990). The area of occupancy for the Hispid Hare has been estimated to be <500 km², in highly fragmented populations in widely disparate localities (Jordan et al. 2005). It occurs at elevations ranging from 100-250 m (Jordan et al. 2005).

The Hispid Hare is listed in CITES Appendix I (although this may be a historical artifact of an early listing; the species is never known to have been involved in trade), in India it is listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, and in Nepal it is listed in Schedule I of the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1973 (Bell et al. 1990, Jordan et al. 2005, Jnawali et al. 2011). It has been nationally listed in India as Endangered B2ab(ii,iii,iv) due to restricted area of occupancy, few and fragmented locations, with major threats affecting habitat area and quality (Jordan et al. 2005). In Nepal, it has been nationally listed as Critically Endangered B1ab(ii,iii,iv)+2ab(ii,iii,iv) due to restricted extent of occurrence and area of occupancy, single location with major threats affecting habitat area and quality (Jordan et al. 2005).