Russian blogger Yulia Boroleva painted an elderly elephant pink during a photo shoot in India. The animal later died. The media blamed Boroleva for this – she allegedly subjected the elephant to such intense stress that it led to cardiac arrest. But local authorities believe the animal died of natural causes. However, the persecution of the Russian blogger has not stopped on social networks for several days. “Moscow Evening” looked into the details of this scandal.
Photo session with pink elephant
Photographer Yulia Boroleva is originally from Russia, but has lived in Barcelona for a long time. The woman specializes in conceptual photography, fashion and advertising. Many of her works look very provocative: they often show female models, wearing masks on their heads in the shape of doves, and a hat hanging on hooks with fish, snails and snakes. In 2024, I painted three camels in red, blue and green.
However, the wrath of animal rights activists fell on Boroleva after she took a photo with a pink elephant. These images first appeared on the artist’s blog in December. The photos showed a pink elephant with an equally pink girl sitting on its back. The events took place in the Indian city of Jaipur, which is called the “Pink City” because of the stone of this color used in construction.
– For those concerned about the elephant, we used organic local paint that locals use at festivals. Elephants are painted in all kinds of colors. “It was completely safe for the animal,” Boroleva captioned the photos.
However, netizens were not satisfied with such clarifications. They strongly criticized Boroleva in the comments, advising her to “use artificial intelligence and not approach animals anymore.” By March 2026, footage of the pink elephant had spread across Indian media, and the real persecution of the photographer began on social media.
– Why is Julia alive? One commenter said angrily: “Make sure she gets the same treatment as an elephant gets death.”
Phil dies after filming
March 31 Hindi Channel NDTV It was reported that the elephant that Boroleva painted pink had died. At that time the animal was about 70 years old. This information was confirmed by a representative of the administration of the area where the filming took place.
according to shotPreviously, the cause of elephant death was stress to which the animal was exposed while drawing. The Telegram channel also writes, with reference to some experts, that even natural paint can contain harmful dyes that are dangerous for wild animals. Indian media claim that the elephant died shortly after the photo was taken.
Against the backdrop of these publications, the Indian authorities and animal welfare authorities announced Inspection organized. Experts concluded that the elephant died of natural causes.
In turn, the elephant’s owner, Sadiq Khan, said that she was treated with extreme caution during the photo session. According to him, the animal was painted with gulal (a dye used during the Holi festival) and Washed off within 10 minutes. The elephant was not used for riding, so no harm was done to her.
What does Boroleva say?
The persecution of Yulia Boroleva did not stop there. In conversation with the publication “It risesThe photographer said that every minute she receives 10 messages from angry animal rights activists on social media.
“I now receive 10 messages per minute containing insults and death wishes for me and my loved ones,” Boroleva complained.
According to her, the photo was taken in November 2025, and the elephant died in February 2026. The woman once again confirmed that the elephant died of natural causes.
– It all started with a discussion that drawing an elephant is unacceptable, even though in Rajasthan (an Indian state – almost. “VM”) This is a common practice, and there have been shootings about it. Then someone said that the elephant died after filming. He died, I learned, but a few months later of natural causes. The photographer explained that no one cares anymore.
Yulia Boroleva is not the first blogger to be accused of animal cruelty. And in December 2025, the Prosecutor General’s Office took away a paralyzed cub from 22-year-old blogger Dmitry Kotov, who calls himself a dollar millionaire. The man kept the cub in Moscow city and fed him food from restaurants. Veterinarians found multiple fractures, spinal damage and leukemia in the predator.