Anna Delvey Responds to ‘Bunnygate’ Backlash with Cheeky Post

Anna Delvey is taking control of the “Bunnygate” narrative.

The fake heiress is speaking out after finding herself at the center of controversy for a recent photoshoot. Earlier this month, she made headlines after bunnies featured in a photoshoot she shared on social media were found dumped in a New York City park.

The controversy grew even larger when Christian Batty, a hairstylist on the shoot who had allegedly procured the animals, apologized in a since-deleted Instagram post. In the post, he claimed that he “panicked” after he “realized the rabbits were being surrendered to me.”

“I panicked […] Believing, mistakenly, that there were existing rabbits in that area, I released them there, thinking that was my best option,” he continued in the since-deleted post.

On Aug. 17, Delvey cheekily responded to the controversy by announcing that she’s selling new, related merchandise, including shirts that feature “missing” bunnies.

“The scandal they couldn’t stop talking about, now on a shirt that demands what the law doesn’t: accountability for abandoned animals,” reads the caption of Delvey’s post. “Provide the market and the demand that keeps the Bunnghazi pseudo-story going.”

Delvey also shared that 20% of the purchase price would be donated to a non-profit that “protects, educates, and/or advocates for the protection and care of animals.”

In the caption, she also included a nod to a Change.org petition that could be found at the link in her bio, titled “After Anna Delvey’s Bunny Dumping—Make It Illegal to Abandon Domestic Pets.”

The shirt, Delvey goes on to say, is “‘perfect for anyone who’s ever been wrongfully or rightfully accused, judged or misjudged, convicted or acquitted, or who aspires to be known for their well-knownness.”

“Stop abandoning domestic pets in parks, and stop trying to pin it on me!” Delvey concluded.

Shortly after the controversy made headlines, Delvey took to social media to share her side of the story, sharing a statement on her Instagram Stories about the situation.

Delvey expressed her discontent with the scenario, writing that she was “appalled by what transpired.”

“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. 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.”

After the controversy first went viral, PEOPLE spoke with Terry Chao and the other women who helped collect and rescue the bunnies used in the shoot about the situation.

Though the case has drawn attention because of Delvey’s notoriety, all three women involved in the successful recapturing of the bunnies maintain that such rabbit dumpings happen all the time.

“The only reason this is getting so much coverage is because she’s a known public figure,” Chao told PEOPLE. “But this is happening all the time everywhere, so this is a problem that really needs to be addressed and made aware of to everyone in the public.”

“You cannot dump your pets,” she continued. “Doesn’t matter if a celebrity did it or not. Most of the time, it’s not a celebrity who just dumps their pets.”