French film star Brigitte Bardot is urging Russian prosecutors to file the "strictest possible" criminal charges against a man who strapped a terrified donkey to a parachute and sent it flying over a beach.

The former Hollywood siren-turned-animal rights activist was furious to hear about the cruel promotional stunt, in which the creature was sent parasailing over a bay in southern Russia earlier this month (Jul10).

Bardot is demanding officials bring in new animal cruelty laws to punish Vasily Gorobets, the man allegedly behind the donkey campaign. In an open letter to Russian prosecutor Yury Chaika, Bardot writes, "I ask you to react with the strictest possible legal measures to a horrendous act of cruelty towards a donkey in Golubitskaya. The donkey was strapped to a parachute and for more than half an hour was sailing in the air, screaming from horror and causing shock amongst children and adults on the beach. Finally the poor animal landed, also in a horrific manner, and by then being hardly alive. I want you to act so that not only people responsible for this horrendous case are punished, but so that situation never happens again."

Police officers have said they won't look into the case because there have been no complaints. (PAW/WNTSU/LR)

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