Boo damn it
A tiny and adorable pygmy hippo named Moo Deng is melting hearts all over the world.
The miniature celebrity was born at the Khaow Kheow Open Zoo east of Bangkok, Thailand, and has steadily gone viral for her adorable looks and ferocious bites. Her name means “bouncing pig” in Thai, a reference to a popular pork dish in the country, and was chosen by tens of thousands of Facebook users in a poll last month.
Videos of Moo Deng have been viewed millions of times on X—formerly Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok. She’s even received so much attention that her caretakers have had to restrict her visiting hours because NBC News defeated.
“It is her natural cuteness and her behavior that attract tourists,” said zoo director Narongwit Chodchoy. CNNand added that overall visitor numbers have increased by at least 30 percent.
https://twitter.com/faitheyy/status/1834417559971721542
Stop everything
According to the Pygmy Hippo Foundation, there are an estimated 2,000 pygmy hippos left in the wild, spread across West Africa, with most of them believed to be in Liberia.
Unlike their much larger cousin, the river hippo, pygmy hippos only grow to about 31 inches tall. They are also known to be shy, nocturnal herbivores. Much about the animals remains unknown, including seemingly basic information like breeding seasons or their exact diet, according to the San Diego Zoo.
https://twitter.com/sighyam/status/1834621185956458508
Unfortunately, they are officially listed as endangered because their natural habitat has been cleared or burned. The rivers they frequent are polluted by human activity. In some areas, they are even hunted by bushmeat hunters.
The good news is that they reproduce well in captivity, according to the San Diego Zoo. And Moo Deng’s meteoric rise to fame could shed more light on ongoing conservation efforts.
https://twitter.com/mrmatthouse/status/1833934980621214060
Given the dull and depressing news these days, we could all use a little more Moo Deng in our daily lives.
“As horrible as the world looks right now, I think it’s amazing that we can all come together and collectively love these hippolings,” one user tweeted.
More about nature conservation: Scientists implant radioactive material into the horn of a living rhino to poison anyone who consumes it
