TRENDING: Meet Moo Deng, the baby hippo making the rounds online for her meme-worthy antics
A two-month-old baby pygmy hippopotamus captivated the hearts of social media users with her adorable looks and meme-worthy expressions.
Born on July 10, Moo Deng—whose name means “bouncy pig”—has gotten people lining up outside her enclosure at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi Province in Thailand just to catch a glimpse and take photos and videos of her.
She plays with keepers from 8:00 to 9:00 in the morning before taking her morning shuteye. She then gets ready for a viewing session in the afternoon from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., which she follows with another nap.
Narongwit Chodchoy, the zoo’s director, told Thai PBS that Moo Deng is their biggest star at the moment. According to him, their visitor numbers during weekends have doubled from 3,000 to 6,000 or 7,000 each day since the baby hippo debuted on July 25. Her star power has also significantly benefited nearby businesses.
Apart from being featured in zoo merchandise and garnering millions of views on the zoo’s TikTok page, the crowd favorite hippo has also been the subject of memes, stan accounts, and even an entire Wikipedia page.
An X user, for one, called her a "lifestyle icon" in a post and gave reasons why she deserves the title.
moo deng is a lifestyle icon and i need all of yall to get onboard:
— House ⚔️ gf haver (@mrmatthouse) September 11, 2024
- inexplicably moist at all times
- slightly blurry in most photos
- probably screaming or sleeping
- round pic.twitter.com/VtgOPf1PAS
Another one uploaded a meme of Moo Deng with the caption: "BUT MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM."
BUT MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM pic.twitter.com/cxubCWuhUi
— hope hopes hoping (@hopes_revenge) September 8, 2024
An Internet user also expressed their love for the adorable creature as they shared a video of the latter having a quick splash in water. Another user also said they're "obsessed" with Moo Deng, whom they called a "queen."
Moo Deng was born to hippo parents: 25-year-old Jona and 24-year-old Tony. She also has two siblings named Moo Tun and Moo Wan.
Chodchoy reminded those who are planning to visit Moo Deng to be patient with her as he pointed out that some guests would wake her up for pictures by throwing bananas at her. The zoo has installed security cameras and warned that those who will do the same could face complaints in line with animal cruelty.