Sun newspaper swoops in to rescue parasailing donkey

The Sun, in a front-page story headlined "We've saved her ass", details how it came to the rescue of the female donkey, named Anapka, following the July 15 parasailing stunt.

Animal lovers around the world were outraged by the incident, in which the donkey was strapped in a parasailing harness and sent skyward for 30 minutes over a beach at the Sea of Azov.

Its brays of terror left children on the beach in tears, local media reported.

Police in the Krasnodar region tracked down the female donkey and a veterinarian who examined it found the animal uninjured, despite reports in local media that the animal made a difficult landing in the sea and was pulled "half dead" from the water.

Police have reportedly decided not to press charges against the owner for animal cruelty as the donkey had suffered no physical injuries.

The Sun leapt in to save the animal following outrage expressed by its readers.

It reported that the animal was in its safe custody - being fed apples and other appetising treats by its Russian contributor Anna Shlyakhtenko - and that it would not be parasailing again.

Brigitte Bardot, 75, a French actress who now campaigns for animal rights, has written to Russian authorities seeking action against the donkey's owner.

Meanwhile, The Donkey Sanctuary in Britain, which expressed outrage over the parasailing incident, said it could provide a home for the donkey.

Spokeswoman Dawn Vincent said the charity was extremely disappointed to learn the owner would not be facing criminal charges for what she labelled an appalling act of cruelty.

"We are not only deeply concerned that the owner should go unpunished for allowing an act of such mindless mistreatment to go ahead, but also about the message that a lack of legal consequences sends out to those who do not give animal welfare the priority that it deserves.

"We are in a position to offer a sanctuary for life to the donkey at our rescue centre in Romania, which has specialist facilities and expert staff to care for donkeys.

"We would not transport this donkey to the UK due to the welfare implications and stress involved of such a long-distance journey."

The circumstances around the flight are not entirely clear. Police spoke with the businessman who organised the donkey's flight. He claimed the owner of the donkey had requested the animal be taken parasailing.