Did Anna Delvey dump bunnies? Controversy explained as millennial scamster responds to outrage

Hindustan Times

4 days ago

Anna Delvey finds herself in a new row, this time concerning bunnies. Anna Delvey was convicted in 2019 of grand larceny and theft of services for defrauding wealthy individuals and businesses.(Instagram/theannadelvey)
The fake heiress was convicted in 2019 of grand larceny and theft of services for defrauding wealthy individuals and businesses. She was also the subject of Inventing Anna, the Netflix miniseries.
Delvey has been called out for renting bunnies for a photoshoot and then allegedly dumping them in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. She has now responded to the outrage over her purported action.
What is the Anna Delvey bunny dumping controversy?
Delvey had a photoshoot on August 7, where the 34-year-old was seen posing for photos around New York City, with two rabbits on a leash. These photos were taken by Jasper Soloff.
One social media user, after the shoot, claimed that the model rabbits looked like the ones they found abandoned in Prospect Park, as per Page Six.
This led to massive outrage. "You are a gross human being," one individual said.
Another remarked "ICE says they go after 'criminal immigrants,' but somehow it's always the dishwasher, never the scammer with a publicist."
Since then, Anna has taken to her Instagram account to provide her version of events.
What happened with the bunnies? Anna explains
Anna explained on Instagram that one Christian Batty was to blame. Her assistant told her he knew someone who could 'lend' bunnies for a few hours, New York Post reported.
Anna Delvey's Instagram story(Instagram/theannadelvey)
"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," Anna wrote on Instagram.
She added that she was 'appalled' as an 'animal lover' and would try to ensure these rabbits were rehomed safely.
"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 said.
Further, Anna revealed that Batty 'lied for days' about returning the rabbits. She also shared alleged screenshots of a group chat where Jasper and Batty were present. The latter purportedly admits to dumping the bunnies.
"I was panicking with bunnies. That's the reason I dumped them," he allegedly wrote. Batty's Instagram account seems to have been removed, but NY Post reported him putting up an Insta story on August 10, which said "When I realized the rabbits were being surrendered to me, I panicked. At 19, with no experience caring for animals … and no knowledge of available resources, I felt overwhelmed and made the worst possible choice. Believing, mistakenly, that there were existing rabbits in that area, I released them [in Prospect Park], thinking that was my best option. That belief was wrong, and I regret it deeply."
Anna, meanwhile, said on Instagram that she had donated $1000 to All About Rabbits Rescue.