If you've been on the site formerly known as Twitter in recent weeks, you'll probably have seen photos of a chubby little hippo being splashed with water, giving a wide-eyed scream or biting people.
Her name is Moo Deng, and she's the internet's latest obsession.
Obsessed with this one baby hippo that looks fucking MORTIFIED pic.twitter.com/0fE6BB5Kju
— Rel (RobotFucker) (@DewEnjoyer) September 6, 2024
Moo Deng, whose name roughly translates to "bouncy pig," is a young pygmy hippopotamus that lives at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi Province, Thailand. She was born just two months ago, and has already become a viral sensation.
Internet users have relished Moo Deng's dramatic reactions to being hosed or simply touched, created artwork in her honor and even unknowingly spread misinformation about the creature (that's Mood Deng's sibling biting a keeper in one widely spread photo, not her!).
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
Moo Deng the most beautiful girl in the world pic.twitter.com/bCoUON9WZG
— 💖 (@twaniimals) September 15, 2024
While the baby hippo's fame is no fluke — one of her keepers told the Guardian he "set a goal to make her famous" when she was born — the team at Khao Kheow Open Zoo never expected her to capture so many hearts worldwide. They have since been inundated with visitors, including some who have reportedly harassed Moo Deng and led to additional security around her enclosure. Seriously bad behavior.
From a cake made in Moo Deng's likeness to a cosmetics brand showing how to copy her rosy cheeks, we're all for this squishy, shiny baby getting the attention she so deserves — but not at the expense of her wellbeing.
[Image credit: @kkopzoo]
