Current:Home > Contact-usMeet Little Moo Deng, the Playful Baby Hippo Who Has Stolen Hearts Everywhere-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Meet Little Moo Deng, the Playful Baby Hippo Who Has Stolen Hearts Everywhere
View Date:2024-12-23 15:11:11
Say hello to your new best friend.
The internet has been aflutter with love for Moo Deng, a two-month-old female pygmy hippo from the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand. Moo Deng—whose name roughly translates to "bouncy pig"—has been going viral for her adorable face, unruliness and overall incredible vibes.
"Being a human is miserable," one Moo Deng fan joked on X, formerly Twitter. "I want to be a tiny baby hippo who is allowed to bite everyone."
And Moo Deng's celebrity isn't just on the internet, as the zoo told the BBC that their number of visitors has doubled since her birthday in July. They also posted a message to Facebook Sept. 8, translated from Thai, "This morning, there are a lot of fan club #Little pig since the morning."
It tracks then that they're preparing to sell Moo Deng merchandise—including a button up shirt and pants—which they posted about to Facebook on the same day.
However, all the fame comes with a cost, as it appears many who visit the pygmy hippo in person have been rather mean, throwing things like shellfish at her and splashing water in an effort to get her to wake up. The problems caused the zoo to issue a warning.
"These behaviours are not only cruel," zoo director Narongwit Chodchoi said in a statement via the BBC, "but also dangerous."
He added, "We must protect these animals and ensure that they have a safe and comfortable environment."
The zoo urged its visitors to make sure they come see Moo Deng when she is awake, recently posting to social media, "Little #Bouncing Pig will wake up bouncing in the morning from 8 AM to 9 AM 'especially when she got showered' then go back to sleep before waking up bouncing again in 2 PM. You can come to see me."
The Khao Kheow Open Zoo is especially protective of Moo Deng, as pygmy hippos—also called dwarf hippos—are an endangered species, with the Pygmy Hippo Foundation estimating there are only about 2,000 remaining in the wild.
And Moo Deng is not only helping raise awareness for her species, but she's thrilling fans around the web while doing it.
"there is light and curiosity in Moo Deng's eyes," one fan wrote on X, with another adding, "Moo Deng was born enlightened."
One user quipped, "moo deng is such a mood," alongside a video of the hippo floating in the water, while another claimed that she is, "the most beautiful girl in the world."
And as one X user put it sharing a video of people repeatedly hitting buttons on a slot machine, "me liking every moo deng post on the tl."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (217)
Related
- Paraguay vs. Argentina live updates: Watch Messi play World Cup qualifying match tonight
- Israel-Hamas war fuels anger and protests across the Middle East amid fears of a wider conflict
- More than 300 arrested in US House protest calling for Israel-Hamas ceasefire
- Ruins and memories of a paradise lost in an Israeli village where attackers killed, kidnapped dozens
- Opinion: NFL began season with no Black offensive coordinators, first time since the 1980s
- Hurricanes are now twice as likely to zip from minor to whopper than decades ago, study says
- Suspect in custody in theft of Vermont police cruiser and rifle
- All's fair in love and pickleball? 'Golden Bachelor' Gerry Turner courts skills
- Love Is Blind’s Chelsea Blackwell Reacts to Megan Fox’s Baby News
- Georgia jobless rate ticks up, but labor market keeps setting records for numbers of jobs
Ranking
- Will Trump’s hush money conviction stand? A judge will rule on the president-elect’s immunity claim
- Civic group launches $4M campaign to boost embattled San Francisco ahead of global trade summit
- The government secures a $9 million settlement with Ameris Bank over alleged redlining in Florida
- Major water main break impacts thousands, prompts state of emergency in a northern New York county
- We Can Tell You How to Get to Sesame Street—and Even More Secrets About the Beloved Show
- Marine killed in homicide at Camp Lejeune, fellow Marine taken into custody
- Powerball winning numbers from Oct. 18 drawing: Jackpot at $70 million
- 4 dead in central Washington shooting including gunman, police say
Recommendation
-
Shawn Mendes Confesses He and Camila Cabello Are No Longer the Closest
-
As a kid, Greta Lee identified with Val Kilmer — now, she imagines 'Past Lives'
-
Aid deal brings hope to hungry Gaza residents, but no food yet
-
Ex-Oregon prison nurse convicted of sexually assaulting female inmates gets 30 years in prison
-
To Protect the Ozone Layer and Slow Global Warming, Fertilizers Must Be Deployed More Efficiently, UN Says
-
USWNT is bringing youngsters in now to help with the future. Smart move.
-
Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo ruled out against Bears due to back injury, per reports
-
Burt Young, Sylvester Stallone's brother-in-law Paulie from 'Rocky' films, dies at 83