Trump Jr. Kills Rare, Protected Animal in Italy

In February 2025, a video was published on the website ‘Field Ethos’. This is an online magazine co-founded by Donald Trump Jr.

The magazine describes itself as a lifestyle platform for men who don’t apologize for who they are. It focuses on hunting and traditional ideas of masculinity.

In the video, hunters wearing camouflage wait in a foggy lagoon. Birds fly overhead and dramatic music plays in the background, writes Videnskab.

Shoots Rare Bird

After a while, Trump Jr. appears. He stands among several dead birds. He holds up a duck and says it’s an unusual one for the area.

He admits he doesn’t know its English name. Then he adds that it was an incredible shot.

The scenes were filmed in Valle Pierimpiè in the lower part of the Venetian lagoon. This is a protected nature area.

Investigated the Hunting Scene

Experts say the duck he holds is a ruddy shelduck. It is rare and protected under both EU and Italian law. After the video came out, environmental groups asked for an investigation.

Authorities visited the estate where the hunting took place. They found over 1,400 dead birds and 8,500 rounds of ammunition.

This case is not just about one illegal hunt. It reflects a deeper pattern. Powerful and wealthy men, often white, use hunting as a way to show off traditional masculinity.

Animals become props in a performance. The goal is not food or sport. The goal is dominance, status, and control.

An Outdated Masculine Ideal

There are many historical examples. Archduke Franz Ferdinand once bragged about killing over 270,000 animals.

He even broke rules in Yellowstone National Park just to kill more. Later, French presidents used to go wild boar hunting as part of their duties.

Spain’s former king, Juan Carlos, went on an elephant hunt during an economic crisis. That led to public outrage and helped push him to abdicate.

Trump Jr. has shown a similar attitude. In 2019, he killed a rare sheep in Central Asia. He only got permission afterward.

He has mocked conservation laws as rules made in “first world capitals” that don’t understand life elsewhere. His actions and words tell the same story. Nature is just something to conquer.

This mindset treats the wild as something disposable. It’s not real hunting for survival. It’s about power. And in 2025, that kind of thinking feels more out of touch than ever.