Federal authorities to investigate case in which RFK Jr. dismembered a dead whale with a chainsaw

A nonprofit environmental organization is calling for an investigation into former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is accused of violating the Endangered Species Act by cutting off the head of a beached whale with a chainsaw.

Kennedy, known as an environmental lawyer and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, is said to have decapitated a dead whale with a chainsaw and taken the trophy home on the roof of his car. His daughter, Kick Kennedy, presumably had no controversy in mind with the anecdote when she told it to Town & Country magazine in 2012. However, the Washington DC-based Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund claims Kennedy committed a crime when he transported the skull across state lines from the beach at Squaw Island in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.

Brett Hartl, the center’s national policy director, claimed that Kennedy violated the Lacey Act of 1900, which prohibits the possession of “any part of the body of any animal” covered by the Marine Mammal Protection and Endangered Species Act. In his letter, Hartl called on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to investigate the claim.

“Normally, an unconfirmed anecdote would not be sufficient evidence to support an investigation,” Hartl said in the letter, according to Axios. “However, Mr. Kennedy has admitted to recklessly – and without regard for legal requirements – killing other wildlife species for his own benefit.”

Hartl was, of course, referring to another incident earlier this month in which RFK Jr. shared a video of himself talking about dumping a dead bear in New York’s Central Park. The former presidential candidate has had other strange encounters with animals: In May, it emerged that he admitted in a 2012 deposition that a worm (apparently a pork tapeworm lava) crawled into his head, ate parts of his brain, and died. He has also recently faced criticism from his own family members, including his sister Kerry Kennedy, who have condemned his decision to support Donald Trump for president.