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Anna Delvey, accused of dumping bunnies in park after photoshoot, says she’s ‘appalled’
Convicted con artist Anna Delvey has denied any involvement in the controversial case of the rabbits dumped in Prospect Park.
Convicted con artist Anna Delvey has denied any involvement in the controversial case of the rabbits dumped in Prospect Park. Delvey became the target of backlash last week after the bunnies she used in a photoshoot were found dumped in the famous New York City park.
Internet sleuths cross-examined the fur colour of the three park rabbits with the ones used by Anna Delvey in her photoshoot and concluded they were the same animals.
Here is a lowdown on how Delvey responded to the accusations and what actually happened:
Anna Delvey stars in photoshoot with bunnies
Last week, Anna Delvey shared a series of photographs on Instagram that show her posing with bunnies. In some photographs, the animals were on a leash. In others, she held them in her hands.
The photographer for the photoshoot was Jasper Soloff, a New York native whose work has appeared in magazines like Vogue, GQ, Billboard etc. Delvey’s court-ordered ankle monitor was visible in the pictures. (Also read: Fake German heiress sentenced to 4-12 years behind bars)
Bunnies found abandoned in park
Days later, the rabbits she used in the photoshoot were found dumped in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. The comments section of her posts were flooded with enraged reactions from animal lovers.
Delvey, a convicted fraudster who scammed her way into the New York City social scene, initially denied that the bunnies were dumped. In Instagram comments, she asserted again and again that the bunnies were “borrowed” and later returned to their owners.
Her claims soon fell apart.
Shoot assistant admits to dumping bunnies
Christian Batty, a 19-year-old assistant on the photoshoot, admitted to dumping the bunnies in the park. In a statement shared on social media, Batty said he panicked when the bunnies were handed over to him.
He claimed that Anna Delvey and Jasper Soloff did not know about him abandoning the rabbits.
“I lied to you, Anna, and the rest of the team about the rabbits. The truth is, I did abandon them in the park,” he wrote.
“When I realized the rabbits were being surrendered to me, I panicked. At 19, with no experience caring for animals, no pet-friendly housing, and no knowledge of available resources, I felt overwhelmed and made the worst possible choice,” said Batty.
The shoot assistant claimed he thought that free-roaming bunnies already lived in the park.
“Believing, mistakenly, that there were existing rabbits in that area, I released them there, thinking that was my best option. That belief was wrong, and I regret it deeply,” he said.
Anna Delvey responds to accusations
On Monday, Anna Delvey took to her Instagram stories acknowledging that the bunnies were abandoned but claiming she had no knowledge of the dumping.
She said that Christian Batty had borrowed the bunnies and that she only agreed to star in the photoshoot. “The idea that someone would compromise the well-being of innocent animals for personal networking opportunities is deeply disturbing to me,” Delvey said. “I am appalled by what transpired.”
Anna Delvey’s full statement
You can read her statement below:
As many of you are aware, I recently did a shoot with Jasper Soloff involving live rabbits. Christian Batty, a member of the hair team I briefly met during a fashion week event last year, responded that he knew someone who could lend us bunnies for a few hours.
I later discovered that, instead of borrowing animals from a legitimate source like he claimed, he had obtained them via Facebook Marketplace and intended to release them into Prospect Park, a plan of which I had no knowledge. The idea that someone would compromise the well-being of innocent animals for personal networking opportunities is deeply disturbing to me.
I am appalled by what transpired. As talent, it’s not my job to source or return animals, but as an animal lover, I can promise I will never work with them again without knowing exactly where they came from and how they’re getting home. 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.
I will gladly do whatever I can to ensure these rabbits are rehomed safely.
