A leisure firm in Golubitskaya on the Azov Sea launched a donkey into the air on a parasail as a promotional stunt. After the video was released, Russian police began investigating the matter and may file charges of animal cruelty. If convicted, those responsible could be sentenced to up to two years. Link
Grow up, assholes. Typical of such 'compassionate' animal lovers to wish serious harm on other human beings for having possibly frightened (i.e. NOT seriously harmed) a donkey. Guess what else.... I heard in some horrible countries like Iran and North Korea people are doing medical research on mice, and they even take animal skins and wear them for clothing!!!! OH THE HORROR!!!! OH THE HUMANITY!!!! OH THE BESTIALITY!!!!!
"Is a donkey even smart enough to be frightened at height?"
Are you serious? A basic fear response doesn't require much intelligence. It's instinctual. You can even see it kicking and struggling as it tries to find its balance.
I guess you think that most animals are too stupid to know their heads from their tails. Every single direct ancestor of every single animal alive today was an evolutionary success in that they were intelligent and healthy enough to survive long enough to reproduce. I suppose breeding livestock doesn't particularly count as natural selection at work, but the ancestors of this creature thrived in the wild long before agricultural farming and human intervention.
Fear is one of the most basic instincts and vital to the survival of almost every animal in the wild.