Cruelty probe after donkey parasail stunt

Authorities in Russia are opening an animal cruelty probe into a weekend stunt on a beach in southern Russia in which a donkey was seen to parasail high over the surf.

Amateur video footage showed men attaching the parachute harnesses to the trembling animal. The English-language Kremlin news channel, Russia Today, reported that sunbathers were shocked and distressed at the sight of the flying donkey, which brayed in fear as it glided above the bay for at least half an hour.

Russia Today reported that the donkey was survived the stunt unharmed but had shown signs of severe stress. Some reports said the donkey flight was a promotional stunt for a regional company.

Employees of a extreme sports leisure firm in the Krasnodar region village of Golubitskaya, on the Azov Sea, could face two years in prison if they are charged and convicted of animal cruelty.