A Russian influencer has been in the spotlight in Bali in recent days after she posted a video showing herself posing naked while lying face down on top of an elephant.
In a post uploaded over the weekend and captioned “natural vibes,” Alesya Kafelnikova can be seen stark naked while lying on top of a Sumatran elephant, sufficiently covering her breasts.
After the clip made headlines, the 22-year-old told local news outlet Detik yesterday that the clip was from a shoot to promote wildlife protection. She followed that up with a post on the afternoon of Feb. 18, defending her photoshoot.
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Coconuts has reached out to Kafelnikova and will update this story as soon as we get a reply.
The influencer, who has over 541,000 followers on Instagram, appears to have been in Bali for at least two months, and a little Coconuts sleuthing on Instagram showed some compelling evidence that the elephant shoot was both recent and took place in Bali.
The clip and screenshots of it are widely circulating in Indonesia now, and Bali Tourism Agency Chief Putu Astawa has said he will check to see if the clip was indeed taken on the island.
“Let me firstly confirm whether this clip is new or old, whether it was taken in Bali or elsewhere, we need to confirm,” Astawa said yesterday.
Astawa explained that tourism in Bali is very much tied to the local culture and the philosophy of Tri Hita Karana, which promotes harmony with God, among people, and with nature. Astawa was of the opinion that Kafelnikova’s clip is incompatible with local culture and norms.
“If there is such a video it surely does not meet the norms that we are promoting as part of tourism in Bali,” Astawa said.
Editor’s note: We have updated this story to include Kafelnikova’s Instagram post defending her photoshoot.
Read more news and updates from Bali here.
