Jaipur, March 31 -- A Russian photographer has been facing a backlash on social media after she purportedly painted an elephant pink to conduct a photoshoot in Jaipur's Amer palace last year. The creative photographer, Julia Buruleva, uploaded the photos on her Instagram account last week, featuring a model posing atop the vividly painted elephant. The shoot was held at an abandoned temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha, a choice Buruleva described as "perfect" given the deity's elephant-headed form. She also shared some behind-the-scenes videos showing herself along with others painting the elephant. Describing the shoot, Buruleva wrote, "I spent six weeks in Jaipur. 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 the classic Rajasthani gates." Referring to elephants as the symbol of Rajasthan, she further wrote: "They are 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 of Rajasthan." She further added, "We used organic, locally-made paint, the same kind locals use for festivals so it was absolutely safe for the animal." However, social media users stormed her post with criticism of the shoot with many alleging animal cruelty. In the comment section, many also expressed their discontent. "Using organic colour doesn't justify the fact that you had to subject an animal to being entirely painted on its body for your art. Elephants have very porous skin and are highly sensitive," said one user. Buruleva, however, responded, saying, "If the owner who paints his elephant every day with the special organic paint says it's not a problem for animals, I trust him. I made deep research on this topic and discussed every detail." The president of the Hathi Gaon association said, "Buruleva arrived in Amer last year to conduct this photoshoot. They used only natural colours that never harm the elephants. We washed the elephant within half-an-hour. The elephant shown in the photo is 65-year-old Chanchal who also passed away on February 4. It was a natural death." The divisional forest officer, Jaipur, Vijaypal Singh said that the department is checking the matter and necessary action will be taken accordingly. "We are looking into it. Action will be taken, if necessary," he said....