Parasailing Russian donkey 'unhurt after flight' 
 
 MOSCOW — The Russian donkey who shot to international fame after flying high above the sea in a parasailing stunt has been located and is physically unscathed after her trauma, police said on Thursday. 
 
 The donkey ended up in the skies above the Sea of Azov in the south of Russia as a result of an impromptu advertising campaign by several entrepreneurs to attract holidaymakers to their beach, according to police. 
 
 The donkey had been examined by a veterinarian, who found that her half-an-hour-long flight over heads of holidaymakers last week did not inflict any physical damage, regional spokesman Igor Zhelyabin told AFP. 
 
 "The veterinarian has come to a conclusion that the animal is clinically healthy," he said. 
 
 The donkey's mental state however remained unclear. 
 
 Animal rights activists, who condemned the stunt as cruel, have said the animal must have been very distressed by the flight as well as a rough landing on the water. 
 
 Pictures broadcast on state television showed the donkey taken high into the sky by the stunt, frantically swinging its legs in panic as the speedboat circled around the water. 
 
 Zhelyabin said a decision on whether to open a criminal animal cruelty case would be made on Friday. 
 
 The owner of the donkey, who lives in the nearby town of Temryuk, however has told the authorities he does not see anything wrong in forcing his donkey to fly because the beachgoers "were having fun," Zhelyabin said. 
 
 Dina Goncharova, another local police spokeswoman, said police had confirmed that the donkey was a female. 
 
 Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. More » ||||| Russian police have no plans to take further action against the owner of the famous “flying donkey”. 
 
 Investigators had been considering pursuing animal cruelty charges over the July 15 incident on the Sea of Azov. 
 
 But after a medical inspection of the donkey on Thursday concluded it was physically unharmed by its ordeal, charges will be dropped on Friday or Saturday, Krasnodar Region police told RIA Novosti. 
 
 Shackled to a parachute 
 
 The donkey was attached to a parachute and taken for a spin in the skies above the Azov beach village of Temryuk while horrified on-lookers claimed it was screaming in terror. 
 
 A motorboat was towing the parachute in what was initially claimed to be a promotional stunt for a local parasailing company. 
 
 On landing the donkey was dragged through the water and witnesses told RIA Novosti it was “half dead” when it reached dry land. 
 
 Police launched a search for the animal and its owner, finally tracking them down on Thursday. 
 
 International fame 
 
 The story made worldwide headlines – and Moscow News readers were quick to offer help and support. 
 
 From a potential new home in the Shetland Islands to healing vibes from Canada, messages poured into our offices.
– The owner of a donkey that went parasailing over a Russian beach, terrifying both the animal and onlookers, will not face animal cruelty charges, the Moscow News reports. The donkey, a female, "is clinically healthy," a local official tells AFP, adding that the owner didn't see any problem with the stunt. But the news service notes: "The donkey's mental state remained unclear."