Moo Deng, the baby pygmy hippo from Thailand, is going viral on social media. The playful hippo delights millions.
Moo Deng: All information about the animal internet star
On July 10, 2024, little hippo Moo Deng was born at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand. Since then, the world can't get enough of the clumsy baby hippo with his funny facial expressions and the number of visitors to the zoo has doubled.
- Countless memes: In August 2024, a photo of the pygmy hippo girl was shared on social media – and Moo Deng became a social media phenomenon. Since then, there have been lots of videos, photos and memes of the two-month-old internet star with the googly eyes on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.
- The pictures show the baby animal cuddling, eating or playing around with water. Among other things, a photo that gained popularity shows Moo Deng being lifted by a zookeeper and opening her mouth in slight indignation. There are Moo Deng t-shirts, stuffed animals and other merchandise. They can be purchased at the zoo or online.
- Name: Moo Deng is called “bouncy pig” in Englishtranslated and means “hopping pig” in German. The name was chosen in a Facebook survey with around 20,000 participants. It reflects the energetic nature of the baby animal. Moo Deng also represents a typical street food dish in Thailand with roasted pork belly.
- High number of visitors: The zoo has limited visiting times in the enclosure to five minutes per visitor. There is a morning and afternoon visitor round. The Khao Kheow Open Zoo is about 100 km southeast of Bangkok. The holiday resort of Pattaya is also not far away. Up to 12,000 visitors came every day. A limit was needed.
- Livestream and security cameras: In order to do justice to the interest in Moo Deng and not neglect animal welfare, the baby hippo has a 24-hour live stream. Some zoo visitors threw something into the enclosure to wake up Moo Deng. Since then, security cameras have been installed so that any offenses can be prosecuted.
Latest videos
Moo Deng, the Thai pygmy hippopotamus, is currently going viral.
Moo Deng, the Thai pygmy hippopotamus, is currently going viral.
The clumsy baby hippo with his expressive facial expressions enchants the internet world.
The clumsy baby hippo with his expressive facial expressions enchants the internet world.
Cuddly and compact: Moo Deng is admired by the numerous visitors to the zoo.
Cuddly and compact: Moo Deng is admired by the numerous visitors to the zoo.
Baby animals in the zoo: From the perspective of animal welfare
Some animal rights activists are calling for a boycott of the Thai zoo because they condemn the hype surrounding Moo Deng and other baby animals.
- Animal protection organizations like PETA want to draw attention to the fact that animals don't belong in zoos. Their natural habitat is the wilderness. They are not for entertainment. Children's books already deal with responsible treatment of the environment and animals. This way, future generations can do better than previous ones.
- One gets the impression that baby animals like Moo Deng often seek the protection of their mother. The many people scare them away. The funny videos and memes obscure the animals' captivity. Baby animals and zoo animals in general are always kept within their enclosure. They will not be able to live in freedom.
- Pygmy hippos are endangered species because their habitats are being destroyed. They are also hunted for their meat. In addition to the nature conservation projects, from the perspective of the zoos, they also take on the protection of endangered species.
- The hype surrounding Moo Deng and other baby animals such as the polar bear cub Knut from the Berlin Zoo and Pesto, a penguin chick from Australia, indirectly draw attention to the need for animal protection. Their problem shows that the destruction of the environment and biodiversity, as well as factory farming, must be stopped on a much larger scale.