Dead Lamb’s Swimming-Pool Plunge Sets Off Anger in Argentina
- Investigators hunt for helicopter pilot who released the meat
- Antics at resort go down badly amid deep economic crisis
The helicopter pulls slowly into view over the exclusive vacation home of an Argentine fashion mogul. Suddenly, a dark mass emerges: a lamb carcass, headed to earth fast. Its dead-weight plunge into a swimming pool prompts an onlooker’s high-pitched giggle.
The splash, however, set off an explosion. Video of the frivolous and morbid Jan. 9 stunt emerged Tuesday, prompting an investigation and furious debate over decadence and inequality in a country suffering a deep economic crisis. Fresh evidence came this week when the government reported that year-end inflation had surged to 54%, the highest in almost three decades. The increases are squeezing purchasing power in a meat-mad country where more than a third of the citizens live below the poverty line and have to scrimp for food regularly.