Everyone can’t get enough of Moo Deng– that’s right, a baby pygmy hippopotamus is one of the most popular figures on the internet right now.
As a result, curious fans are interested in just about everything concerning the little cutie: From her age to her parents’ and siblings’ names. Moo Deng’s popularity has also drawn attention to the endangered status of pygmy hippos, with many people now pushing for more awareness about the animals.
So, let’s fully dive in and explore exactly why this bundle of joy has stolen so many hearts across the internet as of late.
Why is Moo Deng so popular?
Moo Deng rose to fame when her handlers at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand began to post pictures and videos of the chubby hippo on Instagram and TikTok. Videos of Moo Deng frolicking in the water of her enclosure, getting belly rubs from her handlers, playfully attacking and biting them quickly went viral, and she soon became a meme.
Many people related to Moo Deng’s hilariously human-like expressions which were shared as meme faces for different occasions. Pictures of her with her mouth wide open mid-scream have especially been used as memes. She also gained widespread adoration for her adorable features, such as her belly rolls and even the snot bubbles from videos of her taking a nap.
An article by The Washington Post also dug into the science of finding baby animals like Moo Deng so adorable. Research scientist in evolutionary psychology Daniel Kruger said of Moo Deng and other baby animals, “When we see these infantile features- those big eyes, large foreheads, small chins, and pudgy bodies- we interpret that as helplessness and as dependency, and it motivates us to care for them.”
This specific set of features found in the young of various species is called the “baby schema” as coined by Austrian biologist, Konrad Lorenz. Moo Deng has the baby schema down to a tee with her small, chubby body, big eyes, and a smiley face. Visitors to the Khao Kheow Open Zoo have increased exponentially since Moo Deng rose to fame, which has even led to the zoo having to restrict time with the hippo. Over the weekend, the zoo posted that visitors can only see Moo Deng for five minutes. Some visitors have also been less than gentle with Moo Deng, throwing items of splashing water at her to try to get her attention, which can be upsetting to the baby hippo.
How old is Moo Deng?
Moo Deng was born in the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand on July 10 and is just over two months old. She is the seventh baby hippo of her mother Jona, who is 25 years old, and her father, Tony, who is 24. Since Moo Deng blew up online, both the Khao Kheow Open Zoo’s social media pages, as well as fan pages dedicated to Moo Deng have seen thousands of new followers.
However, what many people don’t yet know is that pygmy hippos are an endangered species. Human activities like poaching and encroachment on the hippo’s natural habitats have driven these animals near the point of extinction with only about 2000 of them left. Many activists and animal lovers have used Moo Deng’s fame to draw attention to this issue and raise awareness for other endangered species.