Three women are speaking out after rescuing rabbits that were used in a photo shoot by Anna Delvey and then abandoned in New York City’s Prospect Park.
Terry Chao, Jennifer Babcock, and Jenna Goins told People about their days-long effort to find and safely capture the three domestic rabbits.
The rabbits were first used in an Instagram photo shoot for Delvey, but were later discovered abandoned. Christian Batty, a hairstylist who had provided the rabbits for the shoot, admitted in a now-deleted post that he “panicked” and released them in the park, calling his actions “wrong, cruel, and inexcusable.”
Chao, a vegan blogger, first noticed one of the rabbits in a neighborhood Facebook group before realizing it was from Delvey’s shoot. She reached out online, and Goins offered her experience catching wild rabbits and an X-pen to help. They rescued a brown rabbit, later named Parker.
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A second rabbit, a harlequin-colored one, was harder to catch, but Chao, Goins, and a friend managed to capture it and named it Moon. Only after seeing Delvey’s Instagram did Chao realize a third rabbit was missing. After tracing the animals back to a previous owner, they rescued Joaquin, the final rabbit.
All three rabbits are related. Parker is the father of Moon and Joaquin, though they don’t always get along. The women renamed them to reflect their connection to Prospect Park, where they were found.
Babcock explained the rabbits were clearly domestic, not wild. Chao and Goins said that while the story gained attention because Delvey is famous, pet dumping happens frequently and is a serious issue.
Goins added that rabbits need to live indoors and cannot handle city life. She also criticized how Delvey handled the rabbits during the shoot, including holding them upside down and using leashes inappropriately, which can harm the animals.
Delvey responded on Instagram, saying she did not know the rabbits were mishandled, has donated $1,000 to a rabbit rescue, and promised not to work with animals in photos again without knowing how they will be cared for.
All three rabbits are now safe in foster or foster-to-adopt homes. Goins said the focus should remain on educating people that rabbits are not props or toys to be dumped.
