Anna Delvey breaks silence after dumped bunnies social media backlash
The "Dancing with the Stars" alum and convicted con artist took to her Instagram Story on Aug. 11 to address now-viral claims that she left two rabbits that were found abandoned in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. The backlash follows Delvey posting a photo carousel with the pair of bunnies and a companion video last week on social media.
Delvey explained that a person named Christian Batty, who she described as a "member of the hair team I briefly met" during fashion week last year, had said 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 (Batty) claimed, he had obtained them via Facebook Marketplace and intended to release them into Prospect Park," Delvey wrote in a lengthy note to fans.
"(It was) a plan of which I had no knowledge," Delvey continued. "The idea that someone would compromise the well-being of innocent animals for personal networking opportunities is deeply disturbing to me."
In an Aug. 12 statement to USA TODAY, Delvey said that "I'm appalled, and frankly terrified, by the violent threats and hundreds of vile, harassing messages flooding my social media."
"I've provided overwhelming proof of my innocence, yet nothing seems to satisfy the performatively outraged masses whose only real aim is to churn hate in my comments and DMs," Delvey added. USA TODAY also reached out to reps for Jasper Egan Soloff, a photographer who worked on the shoot.
According to People and The New York Times, Batty released statements on since-deleted social media pages addressing the incident and saying "I felt overwhelmed and made the worst possible choice."
'Dancing With the Stars' Anna Delvey elimination episode received historic fan votes
Delvey (aka Anna Sorokin) is the real-life subject of the Netflix series "Inventing Anna" from Shonda Rhimes and served a prison sentence for swindling banks, hotels, and rich friends with a false reputation as a wealthy German heiress.
Delvey said on Instagram that she was "appalled by what transpired," adding that "it's not my job to source or return animals" as talent.
"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," she added. "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."
After Delvey posted the photoshoot on social media, vegan influencer Terry Chao said in a post that she noticed that the bunnies from the photo were the same ones she had helped with two neighbors after she saw that there were lost bunnies found in the New York City park in a local Facebook group.
"Animals are not props, they are beautiful, living things that we need to honor and cherish," Chao added.
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