Donald Trump Jr faces allegations of shooting a protected species during a hunting excursion in the Venice lagoon.
Andrea Zanoni, who serves as a regional counsellor in Veneto, identified footage showing Trump Jr with what appears to be a rare ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea).
“This is a species protected throughout Europe by the EU birds directive and of course by Italian law … [which] criminally punishes its killing and possession. Veneto and Italy are not the property of the USA,” he said in his Facebook post.
The footage from Field Ethos, an outdoor lifestyle publication co-founded by Trump Jr, shows him shooting ducks from a foxhole in a lagoon. In one segment, he indicates a distinctive rusty orange duck amongst several waterfowl carcasses.
“This is actually a rather uncommon duck for the area. Not even sure what it is in English, but incredible shoot,” he said.
The ruddy shelduck, also known as the Brahminy duck in India, migrates between south Asia and south-east Europe. While not globally endangered, experts express concern about its future due to climate change affecting its breeding territories.
Zanoni considers the killing of this protected bird unlawful and questions the legitimacy of Trump Jr’s hunting activities in Italy as a non-resident.
The Italian Hunting Federation’s president, Massimo Buconi, disputes the claim about foreigners being barred from hunting in Italy. However, he acknowledges that if the bird is confirmed to be a ruddy shelduck, it would constitute a legal violation.
“At a glance it looks like a ruddy shelduck. I don’t know if it’s protected in America, but in Europe, and in Italy, it is protected. You cannot hunt it,” he said.
The footage was reportedly captured in the Pierimpie’ valley, a protected area near Venice, according to Zanoni. He indicated that he had requested the regional authorities about potential penalties, including licence suspension or revocation for the company that permitted the hunt.
Luana Zanella, a Green party representative in the national parliament, has brought the issue to the attention of the environment ministry.
AFP’s requests for comment received no immediate response from either Zanoni or Trump Jr.
Field Ethos remained unresponsive to the Guardian’s request for comment. The video’s narration stated that the hunting occurred on private property and environmental considerations were taken into account.
According to Italian media sources, Trump Jr visited Venice in December accompanied by his girlfriend. The 48-year-old enthusiast of trophy hunting received authorisation to hunt an Alaskan grizzly bear in 2020.
That same year, a trophy hunting convention in Nevada auctioned a week-long hunting expedition with him.
!(function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) {
function loadFBEvents(isFBCampaignActive)
if (!isFBCampaignActive)
return;
(function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s)
if (f.fbq) return;
n = f.fbq = function()
n.callMethod ? n.callMethod(...arguments) : n.queue.push(arguments);
;
if (!f._fbq) f._fbq = n;
n.push = n;
n.loaded = !0;
n.version = '2.0';
n.queue = [];
t = b.createElement(e);
t.async = !0;
t.defer = !0;
t.src = v;
s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s);
)(f, b, e, 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js', n, t, s);
fbq('init', '593671331875494');
fbq('track', 'PageView');
;
function loadGtagEvents(isGoogleCampaignActive)
if (!isGoogleCampaignActive)
return;
var id = document.getElementById('toi-plus-google-campaign');
if (id)
return;
(function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s)
t = b.createElement(e);
t.async = !0;
t.defer = !0;
t.src = v;
t.id = 'toi-plus-google-campaign';
s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s);
)(f, b, e, 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=AW-877820074', n, t, s);
;
function loadSurvicateJs(allowedSurvicateSections = []){
const section = window.location.pathname.split('/')[1]
const isHomePageAllowed = window.location.pathname === '/' && allowedSurvicateSections.includes('homepage')
if(allowedSurvicateSections.includes(section) || isHomePageAllowed)
(function(w)
function setAttributes()
var prime_user_status = window.isPrime ? 'paid' : 'free' ;
w._sva.setVisitorTraits(
toi_user_subscription_status : prime_user_status
);
if (w._sva && w._sva.setVisitorTraits)
setAttributes();
else
w.addEventListener("SurvicateReady", setAttributes);
var s = document.createElement('script');
s.src="https://survey.survicate.com/workspaces/0be6ae9845d14a7c8ff08a7a00bd9b21/web_surveys.js";
s.async = true;
var e = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
e.parentNode.insertBefore(s, e);
)(window);
}
window.TimesApps = window.TimesApps || ;
var TimesApps = window.TimesApps;
TimesApps.toiPlusEvents = function(config)
var isConfigAvailable = "toiplus_site_settings" in f && "isFBCampaignActive" in f.toiplus_site_settings && "isGoogleCampaignActive" in f.toiplus_site_settings;
var isPrimeUser = window.isPrime;
var isPrimeUserLayout = window.isPrimeUserLayout;
if (isConfigAvailable && !isPrimeUser)
loadGtagEvents(f.toiplus_site_settings.isGoogleCampaignActive);
loadFBEvents(f.toiplus_site_settings.isFBCampaignActive);
loadSurvicateJs(f.toiplus_site_settings.allowedSurvicateSections);
else
var JarvisUrl="https://jarvis.indiatimes.com/v1/feeds/toi_plus/site_settings/643526e21443833f0c454615?db_env=published";
window.getFromClient(JarvisUrl, function(config)
if (config)
const allowedSectionSuricate = (isPrimeUserLayout) ? config?.allowedSurvicatePrimeSections : config?.allowedSurvicateSections
loadGtagEvents(config?.isGoogleCampaignActive);
loadFBEvents(config?.isFBCampaignActive);
loadSurvicateJs(allowedSectionSuricate);
)
;
})(
window,
document,
'script',
);
About The Author
I’m JP, a 26-year-old from Odisha, India 🇮🇳 and the founder of newsxbyte.com 📰. I write articles and news on a variety of topics, including business, finance 💼, and exam updates 📚. With a passion for journalism and digital content, I strive to keep my readers informed and engaged with the latest updates and insights.
