2021.07.29
Chihiro Ueda (Third Graduating Class of SFC)
Academic Affairs (International and Student Support) Section, Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) Office
When you think of SFC, you think of Gulliver Pond (Kamoike) (its official name is Gulliver Pond, but no one calls it that). Many students and alumni would agree, but few probably know that the ducks of Gulliver Pond (Kamoike) have faced the threat of extinction multiple times.
The ducks that reside permanently in Gulliver Pond (Kamoike) are Aigamo ducks. These are not wild ducks; they came to live here through various connections and are cared for and fed by the university. Sometimes, students come to the office—perhaps seriously, perhaps as a joke—and ask, "Can I catch and eat those ducks?" But you must not eat them, as they are SFC's assets... or rather, cherished pets. The current Aigamo ducks are believed to be the fourth or fifth generation since SFC was established.
As for the original ducks, there's a legendary tale—of uncertain truth—that when the campus first opened in 1990, a staff member named Mr. Anzai, feeling that the reservoir was lonely with nothing in it, caught wild mallards and made them residents.
In May 2020, while the campus was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all three female ducks out of the six resident Aigamo ducks disappeared, leaving only the three males.
According to the staff member in charge of feeding and caring for the ducks, one of the females had lived for about 12 years and likely died of old age. As for the other two, it's uncertain whether they went somewhere else or were attacked by something...
For about two months from April to May 2020, the campus was nearly deserted due to the pandemic, and there were reports of increased and active populations of snakes, crows, and wasps. It is thought that the old, weakened female ducks may have fallen victim to them.
Thus, with only three elderly male ducks, the ducks of Gulliver Pond (Kamoike) were facing imminent extinction.
Some of you might be thinking, "Wait, aren't there more ducks in Gulliver Pond (Kamoike)?" It's true that wild spot-billed ducks and grey herons sometimes take up temporary residence, and in the winter (around December to March), migrating mallards arrive from as far as Hokkaido and even Siberia, sometimes resulting in over 100 wild birds at the pond. However, as mentioned before, the only permanent residents are the Aigamo ducks.
Therefore, using connections through SFC alumni, we arranged to receive Aigamo ducks that had completed their duties in rice-duck farming from SFC alumni couple Airi and Kota Otsu , who run a farm in Minamiaso.
In fact, the Aigamo ducks currently at the pond also came from the Otsus' farm. Previously, it seems we received ducks from an agricultural high school in the Fujisawa area that practiced rice-duck farming, but they now only have domestic ducks... (and a "Domestic Duck Pond" doesn't sound quite right, does it?). So, a few years ago, we reached out to the Otsus through alumni connections, and we were able to ask for their help again this time.
Last time, one of the Otsus' juniors (also an SFC alumnus) who farms in Kumamoto apparently drove the Aigamo ducks all the way from Kumamoto to Fujisawa in their personal car. This time, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we hired a pet transport service for the move, which involved both ground and air travel (incidentally, Aigamo ducks are a crossbreed of domestic ducks and mallards and cannot fly on their own).
On July 20, just after 7:00 a.m., we received a message, photos, and videos from the Otsus, informing us that the ducks had begun their journey from Minamiaso. We were worried if they would all arrive safely due to the heat, but they reached the campus by the transport company's vehicle just after 3:00 p.m. They were transported in three pet cages, with six to seven ducks in each, and we first released them into a temporary enclosure at the Omega Building.
At first, they were frightened and hesitant to leave their cages, but once they were out, they all huddled together in a frightened clump. We prepared a water station, assuming they would be thirsty, but they wouldn't even touch it initially.
After a few minutes, a few ducks slowly began to drink water, but they remained wary and clumped together. Initially, several staff members were watching, but when I was left alone on watch duty due to other work, they finally began to relax a little, and the clump gradually broke apart. After about 30 minutes, one by one, they started to eat the food and became more lively. Within an hour, they were individually drinking water, eating, bathing, preening their feathers, and quacking. By the time an hour and a half had passed, some ducks even started to doze off. They had relaxed considerably.
Just after 4:30 p.m., it was finally time to release them from the temporary enclosure at the Omega Building into Gulliver Pond (Kamoike). Available staff members from the office came out, and we all watched over them.
We put a few ducks at a time into cardboard boxes (it was striking how light they were for their size) and carried them to the edge of Gulliver Pond (Kamoike). When we released them from the boxes, they gathered with their companions and scurried about in confusion. They eventually made it into the water, where the three resident elderly Aigamo ducks came over to check out the newcomers. For a moment, they seemed to make a threatening gesture, but they quickly swam away.
Despite some mishaps, including a few ducks escaping their boxes during transport and making a run for it around the Omega Building, all 20 ducks eventually settled into Gulliver Pond (Kamoike).
The new arrivals consist of 20 Aigamo ducks (mostly female). Since then, the 20 Aigamo ducks from Minamiaso have been moving as a group. We can only hope that they will quickly acclimate to their new environment and live happily and healthily alongside the three resident elderly Aigamo ducks.
SFC Aigamo Duck Relocation Project Video
Photos and video courtesy of Eiji Yoshioka
A Comment from Kota and Airi Otsu
Hello, we are Kota and Airi Otsu of O2Farm. We are both from the fifth graduating class of SFC and run a farm in Minamiaso Village, Kumamoto Prefecture.
After graduating from SFC and studying abroad in Germany, we started farming in 2003 in my husband Kota's hometown, taking over the family business. For the past 19 years, we have been dedicated full-time farmers, cultivating rice, the staple food of Japan.
As graduates of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, it was natural for us to avoid farming methods that burden the environment. We grow our rice using a pesticide-free method called "rice-duck farming," where Aigamo ducks help with weeding.
As former SFC students, when we think of ducks, we naturally think of Gulliver Pond (Kamoike). What a joy it is for us, as Keio alumni, to be able to send the Aigamo ducks that worked hard on our farm to that very pond. It means the Aigamo ducks, who worked diligently on the farm in their youth, can now enjoy a peaceful retirement.
They may be noisy and smelly at times, but we would be grateful if you would welcome them as members of the campus community. We pray from afar that Gulliver Pond (Kamoike) will continue to be a pond with ducks.
Published by: General Affairs Section, Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) Office