Tributes poured in today to legendary duck Long Boi after he was officially declared dead.
The University of York said that, after a period of two months with no sighting of the famous wildfowl, “we are today forced to conclude that he has passed away”.
YorkMix reported growing concerns for Long Boi last week after his official Instagram (followers: 56K) said they feared the worst.
Today the university called it.
“We appreciate this is not the resolution that many people were wishing for, but hope that acknowledging his passing allows us to focus on celebrating his life and commemorating the time he spent with us,” the university’s official statement read.
“During his time on campus, Long Boi brought joy to staff, students, alumni and visitors to York.
“Our beautiful campus and wonderful grounds team provided a rich life for him during the four years he lived with us.”
The mallard-Indian runner cross first appeared on the Heslington campus in 2019.
His life reverberated throughout the world. Long Boi was among the few ducks to go viral, and he featured on Greg James’s BBC Radio 1 show and James Corden’s The Late Late Show in the US.
The university’s student union “is working on plans to organise a fitting tribute to Long Boi, and will confirm details in due course”. A fundraiser is planned.
Here are some of the reactions today:
Bestest Boi ever
Aw no! I was hoping to get a sight of him before I leave uni for the final time next week!
Shall we light a candle for Long Boi tonight?
York is in mourning
It would be great soap opera to see him waddle back in at some point whilst the rest of society thought he was dead
We need a Long Boi statue!
Sick to death of hearing about him tbh