'Fake heiress' Anna Delvey under fire for 'dumping bunnies' after photoshoot

Anna Delvey, the infamous ‘fake heiress’ convicted of grand larceny and theft, is coming under fire yet again. This time, she’s embroiled in drama stemming from a photoshoot she captured by photographer Jasper Soloff that she initially posted to Instagram on August 7.

During their shoot, Anna Delvey posed around the city of New York, accompanied by two rabbits. Following the shoot, she was accused of abandoning the bunnies in Prospect Park in a story that was initially published by Page Six. Delvey responded to the backlash in her Instagram Stories, shifting most of the blame to her assistant, Christian Batty.

“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.”

She went on to share the following thoughts with PageSix,

“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.”

The incident has since drawn mixed reactions online.

Anna Delvey's 'bunnygate' at a glance

Anna Delvey insists she is ‘appalled’ by the allegations that she had any part in how the bunnies involved were treated. Her 19-year-old assistant, Christian Batty, responded to the situation by sharing the following message on his Instagram Stories before his account was later deactivated.

“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.”

While the plan for the shoot was largely conceived by photographer Jasper Soloff, as per reports, his attorney, Gary Adelman (of Adelman-Matz), was also quick to denounce his involvement in the procurement and care of the animals used during the shoot.

“This was not Jasper’s photoshoot. Jasper had no knowledge or input as to how the bunnies were obtained or what happened to them after the photo shoot.”

In response to the entire saga, Anna also shared that she had donated $1,000 to All About Rabbits Rescue via her Instagram Stories.

According to New York Post, three of the bunnies were rescued by Terry Chao.

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