Hunting was used to try to control the rabbit populations in the early stages of their population increase. Despite many rabbits being killed via this method, their quick reproductive cycles meant that hunting was not an effective control measure. Famers also try to disrupt rabbit warrens (the rabbits' home/ habitat) to eradicate them on farms.

Fences have been another method used to try to control rabbits. They were not very successful, as summarised in the quote below, mainly because they did not affect the increasing population, just the spread/ location.

"Initially, both farmers and the government built fences to keep the rabbits from destroying their crops. The government even commissioned the construction of a fence that stretched across Western Australia, from the north to the south. However, fencing did little to deter the rabbits. In the case of the Western Australia fence, it merely fenced in rabbits already living in the state."

Source: National Geographic, "How European rabbits took over Australia", accessed November 2023

Introducing diseases that target only rabbits seems to have been the most effective measure to control rabbit over-population. 

The Myxoma virus (shown in the image above) turns into myxomatosis, a disease that severely affects European rabbits (but not other species) and results in a high death rate. 

Source: World Organisation for Animal Health, accessed November 2023

Other biological control measures include different diseases or poisons, such as sodium fluoroacetate, which will kill 90% of rabbits that come into contact with it. 

"Carbon monoxide and phosphine are also used to fumigate burrows and kill any rabbits living inside."

Source: National Geographic, "How European rabbits took over Australia", accessed November 2023