What is Anna Delvey’s bunny dumping controversy? Scandal explained as millennial scammer responds to outrage
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Anna Delvey (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)Con artist Anna Delvey, who was the subject of Netflix's Inventing Anna, has landed herself in a rabbit hole. Netizens have called out the 34-year-old for renting and then dumping bunnies at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, following a recent photoshoot.
Addressing the backlash, Delvey took to her Instagram stories on Monday, August 11, 2025, to explain her side of the story. Noting that she was "appalled" by what happened, she added:
"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."
Anna Delvey added that she didn't eat meat, nor did she have any involvement in the "acquisition, transport, or return" of the bunnies following her shoot. However, she asserted that she didn't condone what transpired.
Anna Delvey’s bunny-dumping controversy explained
It all began earlier this month when Anna Delvey teamed up with photographer Jasper Soloff for a photoshoot. The pictures involved the 34-year-old posing across the city with bunnies.
Soon after, local residents Terry Chao, Jenna Renne Goins, and Jennifer Babcock spotted a rabbit in a wooded area near Grand Army Plaza in Prospect Park. The women began a hunt to save the bunny. The team ended up saving three rabbits over the course of the next few days.
Amidst the chaos, Anna Delvey posted pictures from the photoshoot to her Instagram profile, with the caption:
"Our bunny daycare is open."
Delvey's colleague, Christian Batty, was responsible for acquiring the rabbits. Ahead of the shoot, Batty had reached out to Chao to scout her pet for the same, but it didn't work out.
As Anna Delvey's post went viral, eagle-eyed netizens were quick to connect that the rabbits Chao found in Prospect Park and the ones seen in the pictures were the same.
Needless to say, many called out Anna for her callous behavior. Many took to commenting under her post. One even asked the 34-year-old to clarify what occurred, even suggesting someone must have notified authorities. This prompted the socialite to respond, writing:
"I will find and sue dimwits like yourself who simply refuse to accept that the bunnies that were borrowed for our shoot are safe at home with their owners."
Further, Batty, too, came to Anna's defense in the comment section, writing:
"It isn't the same bunny, as that bunny is located in Yonkers. Ans as you said you found 4 bunnies in prospect park, we only had 2. One so happens to look like the ones you found in the park and now it's Anna's fault?"
He went on to assert that the rabbits they hired were "ethically sourced."
According to Jennifer's Instagram stories, he even went on to threaten to sue her for libel.
However, soon after, Christian Batty confessed to dumping the bunnies in Prospect Park without anyone, including Anna Delvey, knowing. He explained that the rabbits were "surrendered" to him. Noting that he had no experience caring for the animal and that he had no resources or pet-friendly housing available, he decided to let them loose in the wooded area.
Batty ended up helping Chao and the rescue team find one of the missing bunnies, per Chao's Instagram update.
In her Instagram story, Anna Delvey explained that Christian told them he knew someone who could lend them the bunnies needed for the shoot. However, instead of borrowing from a "legitimate source," he got them through "Facebook Marketplace." Further, she claimed he had intended to release them in Prospect Park. Delvey added:
"The idea that someone would compromise the well-being of innocent animals for personal networking opportunities is deeply disturbing to me."
In subsequent stories, Anna Delvey shared screenshots of her text exchanges with Batty, where he confessed to the whole tirade.
Jennifer is currently fostering the bunnies till they find a new home.
TOPICS: Anna Delvey