Parasailing Donkeys, the Latest in Russian Advertising

ABC’s Alex Marquardt reports from Moscow: With Russians flocking to beaches this summer during a fierce heat wave and drinking heavily, it should probably come as no surprise that some of their beach activities are a little zanier than bodysurfing and boogieboarding. Beachgoers soaking up the rays on the shores of the Sea of Azov in southern Russia last week were treated to the latest in Russian aerial advertising, somewhat different to the banners pulled by planes over American beaches. A braying donkey flew high above the water, attached to a multi-colored parasail pulled by a motorboat below.  Regional police said it was an advertising stunt hoping to lure visitors to a nearby private beach. Watch video of the flying donkey below. “The donkey was taken on a parasailing ride to draw attention to this attraction,” a police spokesman told the RIA Novosti news agency. “The donkey was braying and children were crying but no one had the sense to report it to the police.” Video of the incident shows a group of men hitching the donkey to the sail on the beach before the boat sped off, violently yanking the animal into the air. “The donkey landed in an atrocious manner: it was dragged several meters along the water, after which the animal was pulled out half-alive onto the shore,” a local newspaper wrote, according to Agence France-Presse. Police are investigating the incident and the men behind it could face criminal charges. VIDEO:
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