A cartoonish pygmy hippo housed in a zoo in eastern Thailand has earned the adoration of the internet.
Moo Deng, which translates into ‘bouncy pig’ (or pork) in Thai, was born in Khao Kheow Open Zoo, about 50km from Pattaya, in July.
The two-month-old hippo’s hilarious expressions and cute antics has turned the animal into a viral obsession, with photos of Moo Deng sticking a tongue out and appearing to scream turned into memes.
But virality has come at cruel cost for Moo Deng – and the zoo she lives in.
In a statement, zoo director Narongwit Chodchoi warned harassment of Moo Deng would not be tolerated after videos showed visitors throwing food at the hippo and splashing her with water to get a reaction.
“These behaviours are not only cruel but also dangerous,” Chodchoi said in the statement.
“We must protect these animals and ensure that they have a safe and comfortable environment.”
Moo Deng’s popularity has also prompted the zoo to limit visitors to just five minutes per person watching the hippo calf to control the huge crowds.
Signs have also been erected to ask people to not throw food at Moo Deng or her siblings and parents.
“Some tourists behaved inappropriately. One person poured water [on her] while another threw a shell onto Moo Deng when she lay on the floor,” Chodchoi told CNN.
Some reports state the zoo has added extra security cameras around Moo Deng’s enclosure to monitor this behaviour.
Despite the trouble, the zoo appears to have happily embraced Moo Deng’s unexpected popularity. In social media posts, Khao Kheow Open Zoo refers to the sensation as “pig fever”.
“She’s an icon, she’s a legend, and she is the moment,” one post read. Moo Deng has attracted visitors from all over the world.
The zoo keeps fans updated with the pygmy hippo’s movements and says it puts on a show between 8am and 9am, before waking up from a nap to “bounce” again at 2pm.
The obsession with Moo Deng is not just limited to the pygmy hippo’s undeniable cuteness. Pygmy hippos are native to swamps and rainforests in western Africa and it’s estimated less than 3000 of them remain in the wild.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the pygmy hippopotamus as an endangered species since 2006. Only a dozen pygmy hippos were born in zoos globally last year, according to Africa News, making Moo Deng especially unique.
Moo Deng lives in the zoo with siblings Moo Wan, Pha Lor and Moo Tun. Their names mean ‘sweet pork’, ‘pork belly stew’ and ‘stewed pork’.
Pygmy hippos are the smaller cousins of regular hippopotamuses and are generally docile and not aggressive.
They can, however, be dangerous if provoked. This can include biting, lunging and rearing, according to Franklin Park Zoo.
