Images of Donald Trump's sons posing with a slew of animals they had killed during a hunting trip to Zimbabwe have ignited a Twitter war between the multi-millionaires and animal rights activists.
The series of photos show Donald Trump Jnr and Eric Trump holding up a lifeless leopard, standing next to a crocodile hanging from a tree, smiling next to a dead buffalo and holding the cut-off tail of an elephant (among many other images).
The brothers issued a joint statement saying: "We have the utmost respect for nature and have always hunted in accordance with local laws and regulations." The statement went on to say: "All meat was donated to local villagers who were incredibly grateful."
In a blog for the Huffington Post, Ingrid Newkirk, president and co-founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), wrote: “Of course, when millionaires breeze in, even to blow away the local fauna, most poor villagers hope for some crumbs from the table.
“However, if the Baby Trumps' selfless interest is to feed Zimbabweans, they could have spared themselves the gruelling plane ride and just donated the money, including for the airfare and fees, to the hunt organisers so that the villagers could plant crops that would have continued to grow and provide food for years.”
Twitter tirade
PETA appealed to its supporters via the social networks to “Let the Trump brothers know how you feel about their hunting trip and speak up for wild animals”. The Trump brothers and their famous father have since been bombarded with criticism via Twitter. While Donald Trump has kept himself out of the fray by not responding, Donald Trump Jnr has been firing back at his critics.
One tweet said to Trump Jnr: “Think you better apologise and change your ways before you get fired from the house of public opinion.” To which he replied: “No chance I don't apologise to cater to public opinion when I did nothing wrong. To do so would be to sell myself out.”
Another tweet at Trump Jnr said: “I wonder how far you and your bro could run before I popped u w/AR-15 rifle? 20 yards? I'd give meat to local villagers.” To which he responded: “With ur whining u prob would miss so I'll take my chances” (sic).
As Trump Jnr's responses became more aggressive and personal, he responded to further criticism saying: “I taylor my responses to match the intelligence of the person I am responding to” (sic).
The scrutiny the Trump brothers find themselves under follows a similar online outcry over GoDaddy CEO Bob Parson's elephant hunting video that was posted early last year.
Newkirk took another stab at the Trumps, saying: “The privileged apples have fallen far from the tree. Donald Trump Snr, who has worked with PETA in the past, prefers to hunt for new entrepreneurial opportunities, not animals to kill.”
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