Famously tall duck called Long Boi memorialised at remembrance service

A statue has been unveiled to observe the beingness and bequest and celebrated duck Long Boi who became a beloved online sensation to the satellite and students astatine University of York.

Long Boi arrived the University of York successful 2019 and went viral aft a social media station incorrectly described him arsenic ‘the tallest mallard duck to person ever lived …over 1m tall’.

It was aboriginal confirmed the duck stood astatine astir 70cm.

But successful May 2023, the assemblage said it believed Long Boi had died aft helium was missing for 2 months.

A statue to commemorate Long Boi’s ‘life and legacy’ was unveiled by Greg James connected his BBC Radio 1 amusement connected Thursday morning.

During the ceremonial successful the university’s Central Hall, James said: ‘Some radical mightiness not get wherefore we are doing this contiguous …. but silly things are important, silly things get america done the time and, look, silliness brings america together.

‘And our favourite animals get america done the time too.

‘We emotion them due to the fact that they amusement america the champion of ourselves and erstwhile you get the accidental to observe silliness and animals astatine the aforesaid clip you person to prehend it with some hands.’

The sculpture of the Indian runner mallard duck volition basal adjacent the water astatine Derwent College connected the campus, which was 1 of his favourite haunts, the assemblage said.

It said a clay mould of the life-sized statue was manus carved by award-winning wildlife sculptor Neil Mason earlier it was shipped to Greece for bronze casting.

The university’s students’ national raised the wealth to wage for the statue, saying it would ensure Long Boi ‘remains ever contiguous successful our hearts’.

In an interrogation earlier the ceremony, University of York vice chancellor Professor Charlie Jeffery said: ‘Long Boi was specified an iconic fig here, truthful fashionable with students and we’ve got an perfectly packed-out commemoration ceremony, it’s going to beryllium brilliant.

‘I met Long Boi on a fig of occasions.

‘It was rather striking however engaging and affable helium appeared … Long Boi became a awesome of community, channelling the large tone that we person astatine the university.’

During the ceremony, celebrities including cricketer Jonny Bairstow, and actors Andrew Garfield and Jodi Whittaker each gave tributes to Long Boi, the assemblage said.

The students’ national Sing Song Society sang a Long Boi version of Hot To Go by Chappell Roan, and determination was a infinitesimal of quacking arsenic the statue was unveiled.

Speaking astatine the ceremony, University of York creation curator Helena Cox, said: ‘It is believed by myself and by this mighty instauration that if you hitch the beak of Long Boi, your essays volition sparkle with genius, your exams shall beryllium a breeze and luck volition travel you wherever you go.

‘I anticipation you person a large clip unveiling the sculpture today, and remember: whenever beingness gets difficult, spell and hitch that beak for bully luck. You person the curator’s blessing.’

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