Alex Genado loves to skate around campus on his longboard, and if students look closely they may notice a friend riding along with him: a duckling.
Genado, 23, is not yet a UT student (he is considering applying next fall) likes to longboard around UT’s newly renovated campus on days that the weather permits.
About a week ago, Genado rescued a baby duck named Nero from a couple of hawks that kept swooping down and snatching up his duckling siblings. He was the only one out of the eight ducks to survive. This isn’t out of the ordinary for Genado; this is the sixth duck he’s saved.
Genado has been rescuing and taking care of ducks for a while now. He takes after his grandmother, who rehabs a variety of animals and is currently housing a duck with two broken legs.
Genado has only had his latest project, Nero, for one week, but he has every intention of one day setting him free.
“I will probably keep him a couple months, but it really depends on him and if he is capable of fending for himself.” Genado said. “ I once had a duck that was really attached to me and didn’t want to leave so I decided to keep him. However, one day he flew away. It really just depends on when the duck is ready and everyone is different.”
In an effort to prepare Nero for life on his own, Genado tries to make him as independent as possible.
“I hide food around the backyard so that he can find it and realize that eating out of a bowl is not normal,” Genado said.
Genado is very experienced at taking care of this out-of-the-ordinary pet, although to some people it may not seem any different from a dog or a cat. However, it’s a lot harder than one might think.
“It is kind of like taking care of a child. You need to feed it, watch over it and make sure it feels loved and safe,” Genado continued.
In the past, Alex had a duck that actually was picked up by a hawk and dropped. The duck was never able to recover and feel safe again which eventually lead to its death. Some people think exotic pets seem like a cool idea, but it is actually a huge responsibility.
Nero is also a huge attraction when on campus. Genado constantly has people coming up to see him.
“Every time I come on campus I have to allow time for people who stop me, even when I’m skateboarding just because I have a duck,” Genado said.
This is exactly what happened when Jessica Luba, a freshman education major, spotted Nero. After just a few minutes with Nero she said, “I want a duck, it is the cutest thing in the whole world.”
It’s a good thing Nero enjoys the attention. He even has his own Facebook page, entitled Nero the Duck. Genado has also received his fair share of attention with Nero by his side, but he doesn’t do it for that.
“They just love you and can’t live without you,” Genado said.
As Nero continues to make appearances around campus, he will continually be met with the shocked faces of students everywhere. Although strange at first, students agree that Nero is definitely a cool addition to the University of Tampa community.
Jesse Long can be reached at jessica.long@spartans.ut.edu