Donald Trump Jr. has been accused of illegally hunting rare ducks in Italy as Italian activists blast him for his actions. Environmentalists and local MPs have demanded an inquiry after claiming footage of a camouflaged Don Jr showed him shooting at the rare birds in a protected area.
In the video published by the American website Field Ethos, which brands itself as a 'premier lifestyle publication for the unapologetic man', a group of people can be seen taking part in a hunting trip in a lagoon close to Venice and amongst the men is Don Jr. In the almost six-minute footage, shot just before Christmas, Don Jr is seen popping out of a foxhole – in his camouflage gear - shooting at the ducks with several falling from the sky.
He is joined by a group of half a dozen other men who are enjoying their time in the marshes of north-eastern Italy. One participant in the hunt says: 'It was a great duck shoot with a little bit of good eating in Venice,' and ends with one shooter saying: 'Don got about 50.'
At one point in the video Don Jr is surrounded by an array of dead birds including an unusual amber colored duck which he says: "Is a rather uncommon bird in the area. I'm not even sure what it is." The unidentified duck in question appears to be a Ruddy Shelduck which is a rare species in Europe and is reportedly believed to have a declining population.
According to activists, the species is protected under the EU's Birds Directive and under Italian law it is illegal to kill the bird. The video has sparked controversy in Italy with Italian environmentalist and Green party politician Andrea Zanoni accusing Don Jr of breaking a number of laws in the country.
Zanoni has claimed that Don Jr killed a protected species without a regular license and also hunted in a conservation area protected by the European Union. He said the video was filmed recently in the Pierimpie valley south of the city of Venice. The area is a special conservation area protected by European regulations that is known as the Middle Lower Lagoon of Venice.
He added: "Like any foreigner, in Italy he was not allowed to hunt by law. In fact, in our country only residents of one of the Italian regions can hunt. You need a hunting license issued by the police headquarters, but above all you need a hunting license issued only and exclusively to residents of one of the Italian regions, a mandatory document where you can note the date, place of hunting and quantity of animals killed divided by individual species."
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