YouTuber Arrested For Making Dog Fly With Helium Balloons
A YouTuber has been arrested for animal cruelty after reportedly using helium balloons to make a dog fly.
The Delhi-based YouTuber, named Gaurav Sharma, was arrested today, May 27, by authorities after making a video of a dog appearing to fly after attaching balloons to the animal, thought to be a Pomeranian.
In the video, the small dog – believed to be owned by Sharma – can be seen with several balloons tied to its back when Sharma stands on the roof of a car and lets the dog go. The dog then floats up into the air next to what appears to be a block of apartments.
In the wake of the video being released, a complaint was filed against the YouTuber to Malviya Nagar police station which led to the man’s arrest.
It doesn’t appear as if the dog was hurt during the incident, but people expressed concerns the dog’s life had been put in danger, The Indian Express reports.
Sharma has reportedly deleted the video from his channel in the wake of the controversy, but the clip still went viral elsewhere. It was initially uploaded on May 21 to his four million subscribers on his channel.
Atul Thakur, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), said in a statement:
The complainant alleged that a person by the name of Gaurav Sharma had made a video where they were seen to have tied their pet dog with helium balloons and later they let loose the balloons thereby making the dog fly in the air and hence, risking its life. The video was shot on May 21.
Thakur added that Sharma had made the video for the sole purpose of uploading it on his YouTube channel, Yahoo! News reports, and that an investigation into the matter is currently underway.
Following the controversy, Sharma uploaded another video of him apologising for his actions and insisted that he took ‘all safety measures’ while performing the questionable stunt with his dog, NDTV reports.
8 months agoSharma said in the clip, ‘Before making the video, I had taken all the safety measures. I had said this in the video but did not upload this part as it would’ve increased the length of the video. It was a mistake on my part. All I want to say is that I had made the video with all the safety measures.’
Sharma further apologised to his millions of subscribers and promised not to ‘try such things again’.
If you see an animal in distress and/or in need of help, contact the RSPCA’s 24-hour animal cruelty line on 0300 1234 999 or visit their website for further advice.
