Photographer defends painting elephant bright pink as animal dies shortly after photoshoot

A photographer has found herself at the centre of an animal rights row after staging a controversial shoot involving an elephant in India.

Russian snapper Julia Buruleva has come under fire after dousing a model and the 65-year-old animal, which has since passed away, in bright pink paint to bring her vision to life.

She has now addressed the ongoing backlash surrounding the photoshoot in Jaipur, India - and claims that people have been 'sharing false information' about what happened.

Earlier this month, Buruleva excitedly shared details of her recent project which she carried out during a six-week trip to the capital of of the north-western state of Rajasthan.

Explaining how she came up with the idea, the Barcelona-based conceptual photographer said: "It was probably worth coming to India just for this shoot.

"After the first week, when my brain was already overloaded with all the colours and images of the city, this idea appeared: a pink elephant against classic Rajasthani gates."

"Elephants are everywhere there - streets, ornaments, architecture," Buruleva said. "Practically the main symbol of Rajasthan. I just couldn’t pass by without including one.

"They’re often decorated for festivals and celebrations - locals paint them in all sorts of colours. I decided on one solid bright pink elephant, the most popular colour in Rajasthan."

She explained that organising this was quite 'intense' and said she had to visit several elephant farms before she found someone willing to cooperate.

"At the farm with the most reasonable manager, I went four times to show I was serious," the 47-year-old added, before telling her followers that finding a location to carry out the shoot was also a 'nightmare'.

The shoot ultimately took place at an abandoned Hindu temple, after she finally tracked down a model who was 'willing to be half-naked and painted pink'.

In the caption of her Instagram post which shared footage of the preparation process and documented how the elephant's skin was coloured, Buruleva added: "For anyone worried about the elephant - we used organic, locally-made paint, the same kind locals use for festivals so it was absolutely safe for the animal."

The photographer has since insisted that 'no harm was caused to the elephant at any point' during the shoot, which she claims took place in November last year.

She told The Independent of the paint used on the elephant: "It was applied for a very short period of time and was easily washable.

"The entire session was brief and conducted under the supervision of the elephant’s handler, who is responsible for its daily care and well-being."

After the vibrant images she snapped in Jaipur recently went viral, a host of social media users have slammed the photographer for putting the elephant through the experience.

Buruleva has insisted that the animal was 'calm, relaxed and responsive' for the duration of the photoshoot.

"In Jaipur, elephants are visibly present in the cultural landscape – in ceremonies, decorations, and everyday life," she continued. "And I saw them painted every day, because it is also a part of a local tradition."

“I understand that this topic is sensitive for many people," she went on. "At the same time, I believe it is important to distinguish between situations where animals are genuinely harmed and those where assumptions may not fully reflect the actual conditions.”

The owner of the elephant, Shadik Khan, said the tusker named Chanchal passed away in February. He also told The New Indian Express that 'kaccha gulal' was used to colour the elephant's skin.

Claiming the shoot took 10-minutes, he said that the bright pink paint was immediately washed off afterwards. The colour powder is temporary and does not leave stains.

It has since been reported that Indian forest officials in Rajasthan have now launched an investigation into the photoshoot to find out whether the appropriate permissions were obtained and if animal welfare rules were followed.

In wake of this update, Buruleva shared a brief statement to her Instagram Story on Tuesday (31 March).

"There's been a lot of misinformation spreading about this project with the Pink Elephant," she said.

"I don't know who started it, but from what I've been told, the elephant passed away recently due to old age and this is sad, but the photoshoot happened more than FOUR months earlier and had nothing to do with it.

"Please check your sources before sharing false information!"

Buruleva also shared a statement that Indian photographer Saurav Kumar uploaded online in support of the shoot, which said: "She did not bring an elephant from the wild or force anything for the sake of content. Everything was done properly with the owner's involvement and consent. When the owner, who is responsible for the animal, is okay with it, then who exactly are you to sit here and preach without context?

"It has already been clarified that organic, non toxic colours were used. The same kind that are traditionally used here. Still, people want to act like experts and spread half knowledge without even doing basic research."

LADbible has contacted Buruleva for comment.