Field Ethos publishes video implicating son of newly elected US president, while Green Europe calls for parliamentary inquiry over illegal hunting in protected area
Donald Trump Jr., the son of newly elected US President Donald Trump, has been accused of participating in a hunting trip in a protected area within the Venice Lagoon. The incident occurred last December while Trump Jr. was on vacation in Italy. However, a video recently emerged, published by Field Ethos – The Global Hunt for Adventure, a hunting and fishing brand founded by Trump Jr., showing him hunting ducks with a group of people.
(Original like of the video: https://youtube.com/shorts/j1xJZORG4Kk?si=NvgUKH-3vf-FgsCj - now removed, can be found here https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/05/travel/video/donald-trump-junior-accused-of-shooting-rare-duck-italy-digvid)
According to reports, the video was filmed in Valle Pierimpiè in Campagna Lupia, a location that is part of the Special Conservation Area of the Lower and Middle Venice Lagoon, protected under the EU's Natura 2000 network.
Green Europe has filed an inquiry with the Veneto Regional Council and plans to present one in Parliament to Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin. Veneto Councilor Andrea Zanoni announced on social media: "I have filed an inquiry to denounce these actions. Veneto and Italy are not the property of the USA."
Zanoni criticizes Trump Jr. for allegedly killing a Casarca (Tadorna ferrugginea), a very rare duck in Europe, which is protected by the EU Birds Directive and Italian wildlife protection laws (L. 157/1992). It is unclear whether Trump Jr. was the one who shot the duck, as the moment of the shooting is not captured in the footage. However, in one frame of the video, he is seen next to the carcass. The Councilor further notes that, as a US citizen, Trump Jr. would not have been authorized to hunt in Italy, as he lacked the necessary hunting license and permit, which are only granted to Italian citizens.
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