Donald Trump Jr. has been accused of illegally hunting a rare species of duck on a trip to Italy, causing an outcry among local politicians.
In a video promoted by his lifestyle brand, Field Ethos, Don Jr. was seen with an unusual orange duck after a shoot in a lagoon near Venice.
"This is actually a rather uncommon duck for the area,” Trump Jr. said, pointing to the bird. “Not even sure what it is in English. But incredible shoot.”
The beautiful orange-brown duck, known as a ruddy shelduck, is listed as a species of "least concern" by The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Italian Green Party politicians have lodged a complaint with Italy's environmental ministry, alleging Trump Jr. broke laws on conservation.
Andrea Zanoni, a Green Party politician, states unequivocally that foreigners cannot hunt in Italy and that it is illegal to kill the ruddy shelduck.
But some say the matter is more complicated than that. First, it's unclear who shot the duck, and Don Jr. was with a hunting guide, Oliver Martini, who owns land in the area. Martini previously took actor Stanley Tucci on a duck hunt in the same area, Outdoor Life reported.
“Italian law allows the possibility for foreigners to hunt under strict guidelines. They have to have a valid hunting license in their home countries, and they must be sponsored by an authorized Italian hunting guide,” Leone Rossi di Montelera, who runs a travel hunting outfit catering to foreigners called Italian Safari, told CNN. “There is nothing exclusive or abnormal about the duck hunt in question.”
An Italian safari organizer told Daily Mail that the ruddy shelduck is a rare sight in Europe, but the fowl is "not at risk."
"Even if it's proven who shot it," the safari organizer said, "the level of the penalty is the lowest level in current legislation – is a fine."
Trump's team says his hunting party was in a "legally allowed area" with multiple other groups - but the president's son will cooperate with an investigation.
"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 group’s hunting dog, Don takes following all rules, regulations and conservation on his hunts very seriously and plans on fully cooperating with any investigation," Trump's spokesperson, Andy Surabian, told the Daily Mail.
