A donkey was forced to parachute over a beach in Russia as part of a misguided marketing stunt.
Beach goers were horrified to see the animal hoisted high into the sky, screaming in fear as it flew over a beach in the Cossack village of Golubitskaya last week.
The regional police said the donkey ended up in the skies as a result of an advertising campaign to attract holidaymakers to a private beach.
“The donkey screamed and children cried,” said a police spokesperson. “No one had the brains to call police.”
On landing, the donkey was dragged several metres along the water before being pulled out half-alive.
A spokesperson for animal welfare charity The Brooke said:
“This animal would have been extremely distressed, suffering immeasurable fear and pain. This should never have happened.”
