Parasailing donkey in Russia sparks criminal investigation

Krasnodar - Businessmen in Russia are under investigation for a publicity stunt last week involving a parasailing donkey over the Sea of Azov in southern Russia.

A donkey was sent skyward last week in southern Russia in an advertising stunt designed to attract visitors to a private beach, traumatizing the animal and upsetting children who watched the event. Witnesses to the event said the animal was screaming in fear. A video of the event shows the small donkey being propelled into the air in a rather abrupt manner. A report in RT said the donkey flew for half an hour before it landed in the water where it was then dragged for several meters. A spokesman for Russia’s Interior Ministry told reporters on Monday the incident occurred last Thursday on a beach along the Azov Sea in the Temryk District of Krasnodar. “They gave this donkey a parasailing ride in order to attract holidaymakers’ attention to this sort of entertainment. The donkey brayed and the children cried, but no one was smart enough to inform the police about the incident,” the official said, according to the RIA Novosti news agency. The investigation began on Tuesday after national news in Russia aired the stunt. The businessmen could face a maximum punishment of two years in prison if found guilty of animal cruelty.