RFK Jr. under observation after bizarre whale incident

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is once again under scrutiny after a bizarre story resurfaced involving him beheading a dead whale and transporting its head on the roof of his family's minivan. The incident, originally recounted by his daughter Kathleen Alexandra “Kick” Kennedy in a 2012 interview with Town and Country, has prompted environmentalists to call for a federal investigation to determine whether RFK Jr. violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act.

In the interview, Kick Kennedy detailed how, when she was six years old, her father learned of a dead whale that had washed ashore in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Armed with a chainsaw, RFK Jr. is said to have severed the whale's head, tied it to the family's minivan with bungee cords, and set off on a four- to five-hour drive to Mount Kisco, New York. Kick recalled, “Every time we accelerated on the highway, whale juice would run into the windows of the car, and it was the most disgusting thing in the world…but to us, it was just normal, everyday stuff.”

The resurfacing of this story has prompted the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund to call on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to investigate RFK Jr. for possible violations of the law. The agency stated, “It is illegal to possess any part of an animal, dead or alive, that is covered by either law,” and stressed that possession of the whale skull was a significant violation of the law.

This controversy follows another recent revelation in which RFK Jr. admitted to dumping the carcass of a bear cub in New York's Central Park in 2014. Authorities have since confirmed that he will not face charges for that incident.

RFK Jr., who recently ended his independent presidential campaign and endorsed Donald Trump, continues to attract attention for his unconventional behavior and statements.