Meet Moo Deng, a baby pygmy hippopotamus living her best life—and taking the internet along for the ride.
Moo Deng was born on July 10, 2024, at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Si Racha, Thailand. She’s the eighth baby for parents Jonah and Tony, and the first of her siblings to become a viral “it girl.” The bouncing baby hippo has developed a huge following that regularly bleeds into real life; authorities at the zoo had to limit visitors’ interactions to 5-minute increments, plus monitor people closely so they don’t throw things at the animals to wake them. (What can we say? People are awful and ruin everything.)
Moo Deng gained internet fame after the zoo started sharing pictures and videos of the new baby on its Facebook page. Fans were instantly smitten by her feisty spirit and tendency to “shout” at her handlers. She also has a habit of biting their legs, resulting in a lot of “mood” memes. Once Bowen Yang played Moo Deng on the season 50 premiere of Saturday Night Live, Moo Deng’s place in pop culture was forever secure. Check out ten of the best Moo Deng memes to crop up online (so far).
More than 20,000 people took a poll to select Moo Deng’s name when she was born.
Her name translates to “bouncy pork” or “bouncy pig.” Because of course it does!
Handlers say Moo Deng is more energetic and social than other baby hippos they’ve cared for.
The zoo has plans to launch a livestream soon, so we can all check in with Moo Deng whenever we want. There go my afternoon plans.
According to the Pygmy Hippo Foundation, Pygmy hippos are the world’s smallest species of hippo, growing to half the height of a hippopotamus and weighing less than a quarter of their weight.
Sadly, they’re endangered. In some parts of their native Africa, they’ve already gone extinct. Fewer than 2,500 pygmy hippos survive in the wild, so breeding programs like the one at Khao Kheow Open Zoo are important to preserve the species.
And what a cute species it is!
Some people online have declared Moo Deng to be a “lifestyle icon” because of her fondness for sleeping, eating, and randomly screaming and lashing out at people.
Sephora Thailand even jumped on the bandwagon, announcing a beauty kit designed to make your skin glow like a moist baby hippo’s. Yes, we’re serious!
We never thought we’d be trying to look like a baby hippo, but here we are. Moo Deng really is oddly relateable!
Moo Deng is definitely having a moment! Of course, the internet moves pretty fast, so enjoy the adorable memes before we turn our ultra-short attention span to the next cute animal or shiny object. No matter what happens, Moo Deng will be living her best life: Moisturized, unbothered, and in her own lane.
Published: Oct 5, 2024 09:33 am