Donald Trump Jr accused of illegal hunting in Italy

SHAH ALAM – United States President Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr has been accused of illegally hunting a protected duck species in Italy.

The Ruddy Shelduck, a species safeguarded under Italian and European Union conservation laws, was allegedly shot during a hunting expedition in the Venice lagoon.

According to The Economic Times, the allegations surfaced after a video emerged showing Trump Jr taking part in the hunting trip in a heavily regulated area.

The footage, posted by American website Field Ethos, showed him wearing camouflage gear and shooting from a foxhole, with ducks visibly falling from the sky.

The nearly six-minute video, recorded shortly before Christmas, featured Trump Jr hunting alongside six other men in the marshes of northeastern Italy.

In the video, one of the hunters was heard saying, "It was a great duck shoot with a little bit of good eating in Venice," while the other was head saying, "Don got about 50," British news website Mail Online reported.

At one point in the video, Trump Jr was seen surrounded by various dead birds, including one with an amber hue, which he described as a rare species in the region.

The bird appeared to be a Ruddy Shelduck, a species considered rare in Europe and reportedly facing population declines.

The incident has drawn criticism from Italian environmentalists and lawmakers.

Andrea Zanoni, a politician and member of Italy’s Green Party, filed a formal complaint against Trump Jr, alleging that he lacked the necessary hunting permits and had engaged in hunting within a protected conservation zone.

Zanoni has accused Trump Jr of "breaking multiple laws," claiming that he killed a protected species without proper licensing and hunted in an area designated for conservation under European Union regulations.

Environmentalists and local politicians have called for an investigation into the incident, arguing that it represented a serious violation of wildlife protection laws.

However, Trump Jr's spokesperson, Andy Surabian, defended the hunting trip, stating that all necessary permits were obtained and that they were hunting in a legally sanctioned area.

"Donald Trump Jr takes following all rules, regulations and conservation on his hunts very seriously and plans to fully cooperate with any investigation, even though it's unclear whether this single duck was accidentally shot by someone in Don Jr's hunting group, another hunting group, or killed in another manner and retrieved by the group's hunting dog," Surabian told DailyMail.com.

Despite these assurances, environmentalists and lawmakers continued to call for further investigation, arguing that the video raised serious concerns over compliance with conservation laws.

Italian authorities have yet to conclude their inquiry into the matter.