There are a lot of people on this earth who do not consider themselves members of the Donald Trump Jr. fan club. Me, for one. Also, probably, his ex-fiancée and Greek ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle. The latest to join the anti-Don Jr. ranks? A group of bird activists and, now, some Italian prosecutors.
Per “Page Six,” Trump’s eldest son landed in hot water earlier this month when environmentalists and Italian officials accused him of shooting a rare duck on protected land. Though a spokesperson denied any wrongdoing on behalf of Trump’s offspring, Italian media reported Tuesday that the Venice prosecutor’s office is currently investigating Don Jr. and the rest of his hunting party.
Apparently, Don Jr., avid game hunter that he is, had taken a hunting trip to a reserve near the Venice Lagoon in December. The exact location of the trip is currently unknown, but Italian media believes Don Jr. & Co. set up camp in the wetlands of Valle Pierimpiè in Campagna Lupia. In footage circulated by the Daily Mail, the 47-year-old can be seen in head-to-toe camo shooting his gun, peeking around like a little prairie dog, and later getting his dead ducks in a row. The video — which was originally posted on Don Jr.’s puzzling media venture Field Ethos — featured one orange bird. Don Jr. called the outlier “a rather uncommon duck for the area” before admitting he wasn’t sure what it was.
As it turns out, that “rather uncommon duck” happens to be a ruddy shelduck, a rare European species protected by the European Union bird directive, according to Italian animal activist Andrea Zanoni. As he told the Washington Post on Wednesday, Zanoni filed a complaint with Venice police shortly after he saw Don Jr.’s video circulating online, prompting the investigation.
Meanwhile, Don Jr.’s team swears he wasn’t hunting on protected land and denied him having anything to do with the ruddy shelduck’s death:
“Don and his group had all the proper permits and were hunting in a legally allowed area, where there were countless other hunting groups present,” his rep Andy Surabian told “Page Six.” “While it’s unclear whether this single duck was unintentionally shot by someone in Don’s hunting group, another hunting group or killed in a different manner and retrieved by the groups [sic] hunting dog, Don takes following all rules, regulations and conservation on his hunts very seriously and plans on fully cooperating with any investigation,” Surabian added.
But Zanoni argues that, even if Don Jr. didn’t actually kill the shelduck, he should still face repercussions — which could range from a fine to jail time. “Italian law considers even the possession of the protected duck a crime. There is no need to prove that someone killed it,” he told the Post. “In the video, Trump owned the ruddy shelduck and even touched it.”
Guess we’ll see how this one pans out for Don Jr. In the meantime, I’ll be familiarizing myself with Field Ethos, Don Jr.’s “premier lifestyle publication for the unapologetic man”; those “handy with guns, knives, [and] tents”; and “whiskey-fueled philosophers.” Sounds exactly like the kind of dudes I pray I won’t match with on Hinge.