In today’s animal news, Anna Delvey—also known as Anna Sorokin—is declaring that she has nothing to do with the bunnies from her photoshoot that were abandoned in NYC’s Prospect Park. Confused? Allow me to explain.
Earlier this month, Anna did a photoshoot with bunnies on the streets of NYC. She posed in front of a subway stop with two leashed rabbits at her feet, right in front of her electronic ankle monitor. Days later, a few bunnies were spotted abandoned in Prospect Park, and rescuers online quickly identified them as the same ones used in Anna’s shoot. A total of three bunnies believed to have been part of the photoshoot have since been rescued from the area.
Who abandoned the bunnies?
It’s unclear how, exactly, the rabbits got released in the park, though an assistant on the shoot named Christian Batty has taken responsibility. In a since deleted Facebook post, he wrote in part (as reported by People), “I lied to you, Anna, and the rest of the team about the rabbits. The truth is, I did abandon them in the park. It was wrong, cruel, and inexcusable, and I take full responsibility for my actions.”
Christian continued, saying he panicked after being left with the bunnies (which he assumed would be returned to their owners) and believed that there were rabbits in Prospect Park. “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,” he explained.
What has Anna Delvey said about the bunnies?
Anna has denied any involvement, claiming in her Instagram Story that Christian had obtained the rabbits through Facebook Marketplace and “intended to release them into Prospect Park.”
Anna continued, “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 come from and how they’re getting home.”
Anna also shared text messages purported to be between herself and the original owner of the bunnies, who gave the animals to Christian for the shoot. In the texts, the owner confirms that they never agreed to take the bunnies back after the photoshoot was over. “Christian Batty lied for days about returning the rabbits. Turns out his plan all along was to dump them,” Anna wrote.
Anna further proclaimed her innocence in another Instagram Story, claiming that her GPS ankle monitor “handily rules me out of the most absurd crimes the outraged rabbit mob is frothing over.” She also uploaded what appears to be a receipt for a $1,000 donation to All About Rabbits Rescue.
What’s more, Anna is claiming to have had no involvement in the concepts or logistics of the shoot, saying she was contacted by the photographer Jasper Egan Soloff. However, Jasper’s lawyer, Gary Adelman, has pushed back against this narrative.
Speaking to The New York Times, Gary insisted that “this was not Jasper’s photo shoot” and stated, “Jasper had no knowledge or input as to how the bunnies were obtained or what happened to them after the photo shoot.”
Where are the Anna Delvey bunnies now?
Once reports of bunnies abandoned in Prospect Park made the rounds, vegan influencer Terry Chao—who claims to have been approached by Christian prior to the shoot—recognized them and went to rescue the two bunnies with some friends. Per her Instagram, a third bunny was later rescued with help from Christian, and they all remain in her care.
Despite Anna’s insistence that she was not involved with the mishandling of the animals used in her photoshoot, she doesn’t seem thrilled by their rescuers. After Terry shared an Instagram Story of herself doing interviews about the ordeal, Anna reposted it, calling Terry a “self-righteous clown” and accusing her of “using rabbits as props and riling up the masses to send me more death threats.”
Terry does not appear to have responded, but she is currently accepting donations to help care for the bunnies.
