Indian YouTuber, Gaurav Sharma has been arrested for animal cruelty after he sent his pet up into the sky by attaching helium balloons to the its collar. His pet, Dollar, is unharmed but is probably scarred for life.
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Crossing the line
On May 21, Sharma posted a video of his not-so-hilarious stunt for his 4.5 million subscribers to see. Soon after he released the footage on his channel, GauravZone, he was forced to take it down after getting complaints from several animal rights organisations. Sharma has since apologised for his mistake, saying:
I admit my mistake, but I personally had taken all the safety measures before flying the video
I love my pet like my child. It was the wrong content that has gone out. I am also a pet lover. I got influenced by seeing some videos from outside.
I apologise for that and I will appeal to all of those watching to not get influence by my video.
A case has been filed against the YouTuber and his mother who appeared on the video as well. Atul Thakur, Deputy Commissioner of Police in Delhi clarifies:
He has been arrested on the charges of animal cruelty by risking the pet dog’s life via video making.
The controversial video
In the video, Sharma sends his trusting companionup into the sky not once but twice. Once in the park, where Dollar is released into the air but luckily remains within reachabledistance, and again in an apartment complex. But this is where every animal-lover's heart will drop. The dog floats up almost two stories before entering a balcony. How they got the dog back down remains unclear, but we’re glad that Dollar is now free from the balloons and back on the ground where he belongs.
You can watch his dangerous stunt in the video, but viewer discretion is advised.
