President Donald Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. received special treatment from the Mongolian government over the summer after he shot and killed a rare endangered argali sheep. And he’s getting ripped apart for it on social media.
Trump Jr. fancies himself a hunter and there are many photographs circulating online of himself posing with all the animals he has killed around the world that have been a major source of outrage and controversy.
But earlier this year, Trump Jr. went to great lengths to kill one of the rarest creatures on Earth and hide it from the public, not even releasing any pictures of himself with his trophy.
Considered the largest species of wild sheep, the argali features large corkscrew-shaped horns that can reach over 6 feet long. In Mongolia, they are considered a national treasure. Due to over-hunting and habitat loss, the population continues to decrease today, with only 18,000 in existence as of 2009, which landed the species on the Endangered Species List in the United States.
Yet, Trump Jr. and his son hopped a plane to Mongolia, where he then killed an argali sheep in the dead of night and did not get a permit until after he had already left. It is doubtful that anyone who isn’t the POTUS’s son could get such a “retroactive” permit.
According to a ProPublica report:
The Mongolian government granted Trump Jr. a coveted and rare permit to slay the animal retroactively on Sept. 2, after he’d left the region following his trip. It’s unusual for permits to be issued after a hunter’s stay.
Trump Jr. shot his argali at night, using a rifle with a laser sight, the guides said. He stopped the local hunting guides from dismembering it at the kill site, instead instructing them to use an aluminum sheet to carry the carcass so as not to damage the fur and horns…
It’s unclear what happened to the argali trophy after Trump Jr. killed it. To import the fur and horns of the argali he killed, Trump Jr. would have had to apply for and be granted permission by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
After the hunt, Trump Jr. met with Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga, who must have been eager to accommodate him in the midst of meetings between his government and the Trump administration. So, it certainly appears that Junior received special treatment, as he is also getting in the United States because killing an argali is a violation of the Endangered Species Act.
Judging by the fact that Junior has not released a photo of himself with the argali as he usually would since he’s a narcissistic braggart like his father, even he knows what he did was wrong and won’t be tolerated by the public.
That’s clearly evident by reactions to the report on Twitter.
Argali sheep are beautiful and deeply endangered. They live in remote western Mongolia.
Don Jr. went there and shot one.
How’s he do that? He got a permit from Mongolia *after his trip.*
And oh, he hung with Mongolia’s president. https://t.co/1aZWHoESPE
— Eric Umansky (@ericuman) December 11, 2019
This is a beautiful Argali sheep.
They are extremely endangered.
Don Trump Jr. just shot and killed one on a trip to Mongolia.
He got his hunting permit after the kill and then later posed with the country’s president.https://t.co/rFonsuy2rJ pic.twitter.com/HfgRRd7UnQ— Marcus Baram (@mbaram) December 11, 2019
Argali are prized for their horns and it’s obvious Trump Jr went to Mongolia *mainly* to hunt and kill one.
What a sick, awful person that gets joy from killing animals, that he was willing to go to such great lengths to put a bullet in a rare living creature.
— Gene Shmunster (@NotaBubble) December 11, 2019
Wow, look how magnificent the Argali sheep is. It is considered endangered throughout its entire range and faces persistent poaching and loss of habitat. So little Donnie had to kill one for fun. pic.twitter.com/zLYXjstWGB
— Mark Elliott (@markmobility) December 11, 2019
Mongolia August 2019
Trump Jr. killed an endangered national treasure —argali sheep. The sheep are beloved for their giant curving horns, which run over 6 feet in length.Mongolian gov. issued him a hunting permit retroactively—after he left the country?♀️https://t.co/kpyJrQDsUv
— Arctic Friend (@FriendEden100) December 11, 2019
Can you point me to where it’s legal to kill a rare argali sheep & get the permit after you kill it? Does the use of one’s dad’s presidency to obtain special treatment while in Mongolia cost extra or is it included in the permit? https://t.co/OxAAloYBvI
— Susan ?? (@Sooosan2020) December 11, 2019
As usual, Trump Jr. should be ashamed of himself. This behavior is exactly the kind of abuse of power that his father is being impeached for right now. Clearly, Junior used the fact that his father is president to receive special favors from the Mongolian government after he illegally killed an endangered animal the Mongolian people consider sacred. They should be just as outraged at their government as we should be at ours.
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