Russian influencer is condemned by animal group for posing naked on an elephant

• Alesya Kafelnikova, 22, faced a backlash after sharing the controversial post
• She was spotted lying naked on top of an elephant in Bali for a photoshoot
• The Sumatran elephant is critically endangered with less than 1,000 left today
• Outraged animal lovers slammed the influencer’s post as a ‘tragic trivialisation’

A Russian influencer has been criticised by animal lovers for posing naked on top of an elephant in Bali for a photoshoot.

Alesya Kafelnikova, 22, faced a fierce backlash after sharing a video of her lying naked on top of a critically endangered Sumatran elephant with her 536,000 followers on Instagram.

The model’s post was slammed by angered social media users as well as animal groups who called it a ‘tragic trivialisation’.

Alesya Kafelnikova, a 22-year-old Russian influencer, has been criticised by animal lovers for posing naked on top of an elephant (pictured) in Bali for a photoshoot

Alesya Kafelnikova, 22, faced a fierce backlash after sharing a video of her lying naked on top of a critically endangered Sumatran elephant with her 536,000 followers on Instagram

Alesya, who is also the daughter of former Russian tennis world champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov, shared the video and images on Saturday, followed by the caption ‘Natural vibes’.

In a separate post, she also shared a picture with an elephant telling her followers that ‘to love nature is human nature.’ 

Some users gushed about the model’s post leaving comments such as ‘For the first time ever, I want to be an elephant.’

But others slammed the influencer, calling the photoshoot a ‘violation’ against the animal.

One user wrote: ‘Poor elephant. Aren’t you ashamed to lie naked on an elephant? This is a living creature. Money overshadows everything.’

The post was also condemned by animal groups including Save the Asian Elephants who criticised the post as ‘another tragic trivialisation’.

‘Yet another tragic trivialisation of the majestic Asian elephant when the species is fighting for its very existence against brutal abuse in tourism and human “entertainment”,’ a spokesperson told The Sun. 

In a separate post, the Russian influencer and model shared a picture (left) with an elephant telling her followers that ‘to love nature is human nature’

The Sumatran elephant on which Alesya was posing is a critically endangered species. It is threatened mainly due to deforestation and degradation of its natural habitat.

Sumatran elephants are not native to Bali but are kept on the island in captivity to serve the tourism industry.

According to a 2017 report from National Geographic, the population of Sumatran elephants is estimated to be between 700 and 1,000.

This is not the first time the Russian influence has made the headline.

She spoke up in January 2020 after her friend and fellow model, Ksenia Puntus, reportedly suffered severe injuries after falling out a third-floor window at a building in Moscow where her boyfriend lived.   

Alesya had alleged foul play in the fall that left Puntus, 21, with numerous severe injuries. 

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