A baby hippo is going viral - and paying the price

Nick Marsh - BBC News
Moo Deng, the pygmy hippo, facing left and being picked up by a zoo keeper.
Khao Kheow Open Zoo says that Moo Deng has doubled visitor numbers since her birth in July [Khao Kheow Open Zoo/X]

A baby hippopotamus is causing a fan frenzy in Thailand.

Moo Deng - a name that roughly translates to "bouncy pig" - is a two-month-old female pygmy hippo that is going viral online and attracting queues at a zoo near the city of Pattaya.

Visitor numbers have doubled since her birth in July, according to Khao Kheow Open Zoo.

But the zoo's director has urged people to behave when they come to see Moo Deng, after videos emerged showing visitors mistreating the animal.

Visitors crowd around Moo Deng, taking pictures of her in her enclosure.
The zoo director has urged people to behave when they come to see Moo Deng [Khao Kheow Open Zoo/X]

"These behaviours are not only cruel but also dangerous," Narongwit Chodchoi said in a statement posted online.

"We must protect these animals and ensure that they have a safe and comfortable environment."

Videos on social media show some visitors throwing shellfish and even splashing water on Moo Deng to try to coax her out of sleep.

Mr Narongwit said the zoo has installed CCTV cameras around the enclosures and threatened legal action against those who mistreat the baby hippo.

The best time to visit Moo Deng is when she is awake, he added.

Pygmy hippos, otherwise known as dwarf hippos, are native to West Africa and are classified as "endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Experts believe there are fewer than 3,000 left in the wild.

Moo Deng, a two-month old female dwarf hippopotamus, looks into the camera at Khao Kheow Open Zoo.
Experts say fewer than 3,000 pygmy hippos remain in the wild [Khao Kheow Open Zoo/X]

This particular hippo's miniature frame and podgy proportions have inspired a fervent following online.

"I’m obsessed with Moo Deng - I’ve been thinking about this queen all day long," said one user on X.

Another said: "I don’t know anything else going on in the world right now except for Moo Deng".

Khao Kheow Open Zoo, which is located about 100km (62 miles) southeast of Bangkok, has certainly capitalised on the hype surrounding the celebrity hippo.

Since she was born, 128 of the zoo's last 150 social media posts have been about Moo Deng.

A range of merchandise - including a hippo-inspired shirt and trouser combination - is now available to purchase at the zoo and online.

Other brands have also been trying to cash in. Beauty retail Sephora had earlier put out an advertisement with a line of Moo Deng-inspired blushes, which allows customers to "wear your blush like a baby hippo."

One "Soft Pop Powder Blush" will set you back THB 1,590 ($47.70; £36.30).

Screenshot from an Instagram post showing two blush products, with a photo of Moo Deng beneath it.
Beauty retailer Sephora has launched a line of Moo Deng-inspired blush [Sephora Thailand/Instagram]

Moo Deng has been making waves in traditional media too.

This week she made her international television debut after a crew from the All-Nippon News Network, a Japanese TV station, visited the zoo to film a report on the hippopotamus superstar.

Even the Royal Thai Embassy has warmly welcomed "hot topic" Moo Deng on its social media channels.

As the embassy posted on X on Thursday: "She's very energetic and her cute appearance is soothing."

Zoo director Narongwit Chodchoi, wearing a hippo patterned shirt, being interviewed by a Japanese television crew.
Moo Deng's popularity has attracted international media attention [Khao Kheow Open Zoo/X]

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