Anti-Hunting Politician Accused Donald Trump Jr. of Shooting a Protected Duck in Italy
Anti-Hunting Politician Accused Donald Trump Jr. of Shooting a Protected Duck in Italy. A spokesman for Trump Jr. says he was not hunting illegally or in a protected area, and that he will cooperate with any investigation into the take of a ruddy shelduck.
International and national media outlets are having a field day after an Italian politician claimed Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of President Trump, killed a “very rare” duck on a hunt in Italy. The accusation stems from video footage posted Tuesday to the Italian media sites like Corriere Della Sera that shows Trump Jr. running a shotgun and sitting in a brushed-in shooting hole with ducks piled in front of him.
On international waterfowl hunts like this one there’s often a fuzzy nexus of written law, local custom, and enforcement where it’s not always clear what’s legal and what’s not, says Ramsey Russell. an American duck hunter who brokers international waterfowl hunts.
“Unlike the U.S., many other countries around the world don’t have black and white regulations. It’s black, white, with a lot of gray in between,” says Russell. “As someone who has hunted ruddy shelducks within their natural range, I know they are an Asiatic species. Most likely that bird was captive reared, or an escapee from a nearby park, or farm, or zoo. Case in point, 30-something years ago, a very good friend of mine was hunting flooded timber in Mississippi’s Delta National Forest and they shot a ruddy shelduck.” As far as Russell is concerned, Trump Jr. is being unfairly targeted by Italian politicians because he’s “an outspoken advocate for hunting worldwide” and the son of President Trump.
