Environmental Group Seeks Investigation of RFK Jr. Over Whale Head Claim

An environmental organization is urging a federal agency to probe Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for an alleged incident in which he is said to have used a chainsaw to decapitate a dead whale, subsequently strapping the whale’s head to the roof of his minivan and driving it across state lines nearly thirty years ago when he was in his 40s.

This request was made on Monday by the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, a nonprofit focused on environmental issues. The group sent a letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), asking for an investigation into Kennedy’s purported actions, which his daughter, Kick Kennedy, had previously detailed in a 2012 interview with Town & Country. The story gained fresh attention this week amid tabloid coverage of Kick’s dating life.

As described in the Town & Country article, news spread that a dead whale had washed ashore on Squaw Island in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. According to the account, “Bobby—who enjoys studying animal skulls and skeletons—ran down to the beach with a chainsaw, cut off the whale’s head, and then bungee-corded it to the roof of the family minivan for the five-hour haul back to Mount Kisco, New York.”

A spokesperson for Kennedy did not offer a comment when contacted for details regarding this matter.

In the interview, Kick Kennedy recounted some of the chaotic aspects of their journey, noting, “Every time we accelerated on the highway, whale juice would pour into the windows of the car, and it was the rankest thing on the planet. We all had plastic bags over our heads with mouth holes cut out, and people on the highway were giving us the finger, but that was just normal day-to-day stuff for us.”

Last week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the suspension of his independent presidential campaign and voiced his support for Republican Donald Trump. Following this endorsement, Trump’s campaign revealed that Kennedy would be part of his presidential transition team.

In the letter addressed to NOAA, Brett Hartl, the national political director for the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, expressed concerns that Kennedy may have violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act and possibly the Endangered Species Act. Hartl wrote, “We hope that the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement, at a minimum, is able to ensure that Mr. Kennedy surrenders any and all illegally obtained wildlife that he continues to possess, including the whale skull he took from the Massachusetts beach in 1994.”

Additionally, he urged NOAA to consider both civil and criminal penalties in light of Kennedy’s alleged disregard for the significant marine conservation laws in the United States.

As of yet, representatives from NOAA have not responded to queries regarding whether there will be any investigation into Kennedy’s actions.

This incident involving the whale is not the first concerning Kennedy’s interactions with wildlife to come to light this summer. Earlier in the month, he shared a humorous anecdote with comedian Roseanne Barr, claiming that he jokingly placed a dead bear cub in Central Park after picking it up from the side of the road and putting it in the back of his vehicle.