AN ELEPHANT that was doused in bright pink colour for a controversial photoshoot in India before its death has sparked outrage.
Animal rights activists have accused Russian photographer Julia Buruleva of cruelty, for painting the 65-year-old female named Chanchal “for the purpose of art.”
A screengrab showing Buruleva’s photo sessionCredit: Instagram/@julia.buruleva
The elephant was painted bright pinkCredit: Instagram/@julia.buruleva
The photoshoot happened in the city of Jaipur, in Rajasthan, in November – as many as three months before the animal died.
Images show a model straddling the elephant – both covered in paint head to toe – sparking mass outrage on social media.
Since Chanchal’s death in February, Buruleva has faced a lot of criticism for using her as a “prop” and painting her.
One of the most-liked comments under her post on Instagram read: “Let’s go to India and paint elephants so my Instagram can get some likes.
“This is not art, this is pure ANIMAL ABUSE and so not ok to glorify it.”
Others described the photoshoot as “really disappointing,” “unethical” and “cruel,” and urged Buruleva to do better.
Another comment said: “Using organic colours doesn’t justify the fact that you had to subject an animal to being entirely painted on their body for your art.
“Elephants have very porous skin and are highly sensitive.”
Addressing the backlash, Buruleva stressed that there has been “a lot of misinformation spreading about this project with the Pink Elephant.”
She added: “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 months earlier and had nothing to do with it.”
Buruleva also shared a behind-the-scenes video in March, adding that she had used “absolutely safe” paint.
“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,” she said.
Opening up more, she told LadBible that the animal welfare worries were valid but added: “A lot of the reactions are based on assumptions rather than what actually happened.
“I worked with an experienced owner whose elephant was clearly well taken care of.”
Shadik Khan, the owner of Chanchal, said she was no longer used for rides.
He told local media that the elephant had passed away in February.
Animal rights groups have been calling on the government to impose stricter regulations, particularly in Rajasthan, where elephant rides are so popular among tourists.
Non-profit World Animal Protection has warned that the scale of “abuse and the hidden suffering behind these outings is lost on many.”
“This incident highlights the rampant abuse of captive elephants in Jaipur to cater to tourists’ whims and fancies,” said Gajender Kumar Sharma, Country Director of the organisation.
“We are calling upon the Indian authorities to strictly regulate all close encounters of captive elephants with all tourists, including foreign tourists, in Jaipur and all over India.”
In India, wild Asian elephants typically live for 55 to 70 years.
