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At just two months old, a pygmy hippo in Thailand has become a sensation online for her dramatic antics and sleepy demeanor.
Moo-Deng has been dubbed an ‘icon’ and ‘legend’ by Time Magazine, and has already amassed 2.5 million followers on her TikTok account.
She lives in Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand – and her name means ‘bouncy pork’.
Atthapon Nundee, 31, a zookeeper at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, said: ‘The moment I saw Moo-Deng born, I set a goal to make her famous, but I never expected it would spread abroad. I thought she could be famous in Thailand but not internationally.
‘She is called ‘bouncy’ and she is quite ‘bouncy’ too.’
The adorable hippo has siblings also named after pork – Moo Wan, which means Thai sweet pork; Pha Lor, which means pork belly stew; and Moo Tun, which means stewed pork.
This photo of her nibbling on someone’s leg has gone viral (Picture: X @quinnberely)
One account made an artist rendering of Jesus Christ holding her (Picture: X @neclapng)
She enjoys lying in the water and sleeping, as well as drinking her mum’s milk (Picture: SOPA)
But fame is not without its downsides. Some visitors at the zoo began throwing water and seashells at the sleepy pygmy hippo when she was sleeping in order to get photos, meaning Moo Deng now has her own security guard.
Moo Deng’s species are listed as endangered, with only 2,000 to 25,000 living in the wild in West Africa.
Attaphon added: ‘I hope that the cuteness of Moo-Deng will raise awareness for people to come and learn about the species.’
Social media has certainly taken notice of Moo Deng, whose photos have gone viral on X, Facebook, Instagram and other platforms.
One viral post captioned ‘Moo Deng finally debuts new teeth’ amassed more than 180,000 likes on X.
The young hippo has also made people online simply lose their minds at her plump shape.
We have to say, we’re fans.
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