🕯️ LEGENDS GARDEN
🦆 Long Boi
Domestic duck, believed an Indian Runner x Mallard cross (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) · Heslington Fish Pond, Derwent College, University of York, England
Lives in Legends Garden
Long Boi appeared on the University of York campus pond in 2018 and stood roughly 70cm tall, about twice the height of the mallards around him. A biology student set up an Instagram account for him, and in 2021 a Reddit post wrongly declaring him the tallest mallard ever at over a metre tipped him into global fame - his account gained 16,300 followers in 24 hours, James Corden discussed him on the Late Late Show in April 2021, and he appeared on BBC Radio 1 in March 2023. He vanished from campus weeks later and the university confirmed his death in May 2023. Students crowdfunded about £5,500 for a bronze statue, unveiled by Greg James on 26 September 2024, with the surplus going to student mental health support.
What they do
Stretches his already long neck straight up until he is at full absurd height, holds, then folds it back down to dabble - a three-frame periscope..
Serene, absurdly tall, and utterly used to being photographed.
Lore
- ★He stood about 70cm (2ft 4in) tall, roughly twice the height of the mallards he shared the pond with.
- ★A 2021 Reddit post wrongly called him the tallest mallard ever at over a metre; his Instagram gained 16,300 followers in a single day.
- ★James Corden talked about him on the Late Late Show in April 2021 and he featured on BBC Radio 1 with Greg James in March 2023.
- ★Students raised about £5,500 for a bronze statue, unveiled 26 September 2024; it was damaged and removed in November 2024, then reinstalled in August 2025.
Helping the real one
No verified way to support this animal exists.
We will not invent one.
The student crowdfunder closed in 2023 and its purpose - the memorial statue - was completed in 2024. There is no current donation route tied to Long Boi.
Where this comes from
Every link here was checked twice before it was published. If one is dead or wrong, tell us.