Anna Delvey defended herself amid accusations that bunnies that posed with her during a recent photoshoot were later dumped in a New York park.
Last week, the former Dancing With the Stars and ex-convict contestant posted behind-the-scenes clips of herself and the bunnies, including one TikTok that showed her and one baby rabbit doing the “High School” challenge. Discovering that the bunnies were abandoned in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park was plant-based influencer Terry Chao, who recognized the animals after posts were made on Reddit, as she rescued them earlier in the week. Christian Batty, who was an assistant on Delvey’s photoshoot with photographer Jasper Soloff, requested available bunnies from Chao, who brought them to the Financial District.
In a statement following the incident, Batty said that he “panicked” before taking the bunnies to the park, “felt overwhelmed,” and thus, “made the worst possible choice” in abandoning them. Thankfully, the animals were found and have since been fostered.
“I am relieved to hear that the rabbits are now safe, but I deeply regret the harm I caused,” Batty continued in his statement. “I also want to be clear that Anna and Jasper had no knowledge of my actions until this afternoon, and I ask that any mention of them be removed from the situation.”
Soon after, Delvey entered the chat with a separate statement, explaining that she met Batty during a NYFW event in 2024 and that he told her someone would “lend us bunnies for a few hours.”
Delvey said she was surprised to find out that the animals were obtained through Facebook Marketplace and that she had “no knowledge” of the rabbits being taken to Prospect Park.
“The idea that someone would compromise the well-being of innocent animals for personal networking opportunities is deeply disturbing to me,” she continued.
Delvey confessed that while it isn’t her “job to source or return animals,” she called herself an “animal lover” and avowed to never pose with rabbits again unless knowing where they came from and “how they’re getting home.” She added that she was “appalled by what transpired.”
“I do not eat meat, and I had no involvement in the acquisition, transport, or return of these animals. I would never condone these actions,” she concluded.
While Delvey stressed her animal advocacy, she was notorious for financial fraud in New York social circles in the last decade, becoming the inspiration behind former Netflix show Inventing Anna. In 2019, she was found guilty on multiple counts of grand larceny and four misdemeanor counts of theft of service. She spent 19 months in detention and was released on house arrest in 2022 after a $10,000 bail bond was posted.
