The donkey that was sent parasailing over the Sea of Azov in a cruel advertising stunt will get elite treatment at the Kremlin’s own stables in the Moscow region starting Wednesday, before relocating to Britain, a newspaper reported.
The 17-year-old female donkey, named Anapka, will be taken into a new animal sanctuary built in Hampshire, Britain, by Harry Redknapp, manager of the football club Tottenham Spurs, British tabloid The Sun, which purchased the donkey, reported last week.
But the animal is required to pass through a quarantine first and will do so in the Kremlin Horse Riding School, where it will be able to enjoy a large stable, a special menu, massage, sunbathing and showers three times a day, The Sun wrote Sunday.
Last month, Anapka was leased by Vasily Gorobets, a Krasnodar region businessman, who tricked the donkey's owner by saying he would use the animal to give rides to children, the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper reported Tuesday. Instead, he sent her parasailing on July 15 — a stunt that drew wide attention after videos of the incident were posted online.
Gorobets could not be charged with animal abuse because no grave injuries were inflicted on the donkey, police said. The Sun claimed the creature was left seriously stressed and had become scared of people.