Volunteers, Waterfowl, Wetlands

Breaking news: Discovery of the world’s oldest duck uncovers amazing story of conservation

Just in time to celebrate our anniversary, we’re reporting from the scene where an 84-year-old mallard has returned to Canada’s wetlands.

April 01, 2022

84 years young, Jake the Drake arrives in Canada, just in time for DUC's birthday on April 1.

Hey, I’m Jake. Jake the Drake. Thanks for stopping by, and Happy April Fool’s Day! Let me tell you a story about me, and an organization they call Ducks Unlimited Canada, or DUC for short.

Me and DUC go back a long way…84 years today, matter of fact.

I was born in 1938, same year as DUC. We both got our start on Canada’s prairies, during a rough patch known as the Dust Bowl, owing to the lack of rain and never-ending winds that dried up wetlands and turned rich soil to dust. This long, drawn-out drought saw farmers struggle to make a living on the land; they, and mallards like me, were hard-pressed to find water. Our duck populations took a nosedive.

Big Grass Marsh, in Manitoba, is the site of DUC’s first wetland conservation project in Canada. © DUC

That’s why DUC took flight. Concerned hunters took action to bring back the birds by raising funds and building habitat conservation projects on the parched prairies so ducks like me could thrive, and farmers and ranchers could have water for their crops n’ cattle.

Fact is, I was born not far from DUC’s first project, at Big Grass Marsh near Gladstone, Man. I remember heading straight to that wetland right after I hatched, as fast as my little webbed feet could take me. DUC volunteers had to give some of my young pals a helping hand:

Breaking news: Discovery of the world’s oldest duck uncovers amazing story of conservation

Just in time to celebrate our anniversary, we’re reporting from the scene where an 84-year-old mallard has returned to Canada’s wetlands.

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