Is this endearing face familiar to you? You may have seen clips and photos of her sweeping the world of social media recently, but just who is this new superstar?
This little hippo’s name is Moo Deng, and she is a two-month old born on July 10 at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Si Racha, Thailand. “Moo Deng,” meaning “Bouncy Pork,” was the winning name in a poll conducted by the zoo to determine the name of the newborn hippo. Netizens have praised the name for being very fitting for her character, as one of Moo Deng’s favorite things to do is to giddily “bounce” around her enclosure. With her big, expressive eyes and lively personality, Moo Deng has quickly captured the hearts of zoo visitors and staff alike.
But Moo Deng also isn’t your average hippo: she is a pygmy hippopotamus, a species of hippopotamus often overlooked. Unlike the aggressively homicidal and fiercely territorial common hippopotamus, the pygmy hippopotamus is much smaller and placid in nature. Pygmy hippos on average weigh around 350 to 600 pounds — drastically less than the weight of the common hippo, whose weight is in the range of 3,000 to 9,000 pounds. Pygmy hippos are also typically crepuscular or nocturnal and non-confrontational, usually shying away from conflict instead of choosing violence as their larger cousins almost always do.
Moo Deng’s journey to internet stardom began when her keeper, Atthapon Nundee, started sharing videos of her playful behavior on social media. “I think I am close with her to the point I can share lovely day-to-day activities,” Nundee said in an email to The New York Times. “Most people like that and watching her grow up.”
From frolicking in the water to interacting with her keeper, Moo Deng quickly garnered her own entourage of international fans, who love seeing the feisty, bouncy hippo in action. Pictures of her running away from the hippos’ shower hose and playfully biting her keeper have gone viral over the internet, with social media influencers and big brands alike eager to jump on the Moo Deng bandwagon. In fact, Sephora Thailand has released an advertisement for a series of brushes and blushes featuring the baby hippo modeling in the middle.
Since Moo Deng went viral on the internet, the number of daily visitors to the Khao Kheow Open Zoo has doubled in September. However, not all visitors are respectful of Moo Deng’s routine. According to CBS News, as Moo Deng is primarily nocturnal and only active for about two hours a day, she spends most of her time in her enclosure sleeping and resting. Unfortunately, hostile visitors have attempted to harass her, throwing water and other objects at her to wake her up. This has sparked widespread outrage online and elicited official responses from the zoo, which has since established a 5-minute time limit for visitors at Moo Deng’s enclosure. Thankfully, after public condemnation, the inappropriate behaviors seem to be on a decline.
But Moo Deng’s newfound stardom has also brought about an array of positive effects – she has become an ambassador for conservation for her species on social media. According to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, as of 2024, pygmy hippos are currently listed as endangered with possibly only around 3,000 remaining in their native habitats in West Africa. The zoo hopes that Moo Deng’s popularity can help serve as a platform to educate the public on the challenges pygmy hippos are facing in the wild. As her fame continues to grow, Moo Deng has inspired not only official merchandise from the zoo (which sold out almost immediately upon release) but also fundraising campaigns for conservation and educational programs aimed at protecting hippos and their habitats. The zoo is looking to put profits generated by Moo Deng’s fame towards conservation efforts for hippos.
As Moo Deng continues to make waves around the internet, the zoo has opened a 24-hour livestream so any fans of Moo Deng can enjoy watching her without the need of traveling. The livestream can be accessed in Zoodio’s hippopotamus page.
