There are several neighbors in my neighborhood taking bunny control into their own hands. They are shooting them in the early dawn hours or at dusk, poisoning them, using mouse traps to kill they young bunnies, removing the nest with baby bunnies that can not surive and dumping them in open fields to die.

Two of the neighbors have put humane traps out in addtion to their killing methods but is any of this legal? It has been going on for years and somehow they think this is ok to do and I am horrified.

In order to legally remove the rabbits the neighbors should have an animal removal permit from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). Given some of the control methods being used, I will hazard a guess that they do not have the needed permit. If you are on good terms with the neighbors you could mention to them that they can request the free permit from an IDNR district wildlife biologist. The biologist will be able to recommend humane solutions for reducing the rabbit population. If you prefer to remain anonymous, I would suggest contacting your local IDNR district wildlife biologist to see if this is a situation where they would recommend calling in an IDNR Conservation Police Officer.