By Alvise Armellini
ROME (Reuters) -Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of U.S. President Donald Trump, broke Italian and European Union environmental protection laws when he hunted ducks near Venice in December, according to two Italian Green party lawmakers.
Andrea Zanoni, a member of the Veneto regional assembly, and Luana Zanella, a national parliamentarian, filed two separate parliamentary questions urging regional and national authorities to take action against the alleged offence.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Zanoni said he had seen footage of Trump Jr. hunting in a “Natura 2000” EU conservation zone in the Venice lagoon, standing near a dead ruddy shelduck, a protected species.
“The video shows Trump Jr. with a ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea) in the foreground, a duck that is very rare in all of Europe and protected by the EU Birds Directive and by the Italian law on the protection of wild fauna … The killing or holding of this animal is punishable by law,” Zanoni said.
Hunting in Italy is legal, but strictly regulated.
In the nearly 6-minute video Zanoni referred to, Trump Jr. can be seen on a duck hunting trip in marshlands near Venice promoted by Field Ethos, an outdoors activities brand he co-founded.
“Lots of wigeon, teal (ducks),” he says in the video, describing his hunting spoils. He then says he also caught “a rather uncommon duck for the area, not even sure what it is in English”, before concluding: “incredible shoot”.
Andy Surabian, a spokesman for Trump Jr, said the hunting party all had proper permits, were hunting in a legally allowed area, and it was unclear how the duck in question was killed.
“Don takes following all rules, regulations and conservation on his hunts very seriously and plans on fully cooperating with any investigation,” Surabian said in a statement.
A voiceover in the Field Ethos video says the expedition took place on private land, and that hunting there occurs no more than once a week and that precautions are taken to respect the local environment.
That video was not dated, although a shorter version was posted on YouTube by Field Ethos on Dec. 31, 2024. Italian media reported Trump Jr. was in Venice in December with his girlfriend.
Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin was quoted as saying by ANSA news agency that he was waiting for a report about the alleged incident after being made aware of it from press reports.
(Reporting by Alvise Armellini, additional reporting by Angelo Amante and Giulia Segreti; Editing by Alison Williams and David Gregorio)
