Is Moo Deng a Boy or a Girl?

Just a month after Thailand’s adorable baby hippo Moo Deng debuted on Facebook, the little star skyrocketed to fame both locally and globally.

Thailand’s Next Top Moo Deng?

@kassycho
On July 10, the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand’s Chon Buri province welcomed a female pygmy hippopotamus. As is the zoo’s common practice, it held a naming contest for the newborn baby hippo. On the poll, people were given the option to choose from three names: Moo Deng, which means bouncy pork in Thai, Moo Dang(red pork) and Moo Sub, (minced pork). The poll, which was held on Facebook, gained more than 20,000 votes, according to the [zoo’s announcement](https://khaokheow.zoothailand.org/ewt_news.php?n_id=1247), and on Aug. 20, the zoo announced the baby hippo’s name would be Moo Deng. Moo Deng has since taken social media by storm, going viral on X for looking distressed all the time. The zoo has taken to sharing videos and photos from her daily life, and people online are enjoying watching her grow. People have even started to turn Moo Deng’s hilariously relatable expressions into cute illustrations and memes. The zoo has since started social media accounts dedicated to Moo Deng updates. Most recently, Moo Deng got new teeth so she has been enjoying biting things, such as the zookeepers’ arms and knees. Almost has reached out to Khao Kheow Open Zoo for comment. 🇹🇭🦛😂 #hippo #hippos #hippopotamus #babyhippo #pygmyhippo #moodeng #animal #animals #zoo #zookeeper #cute #meme #bouncypork #thai #thailand #หมูเด้ง #fyp #edutok #learnontiktok #tiktoknews
♬ MOOO! – Doja Cat

Born on July 10, 2024, Moo Deng is the seventh child of hippo parents, Jona and Tony, and resides at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand. The name Moo Deng, which translates to “bouncy pork” in Thai, was chosen by fans through an online poll, continuing the playful tradition of the hippo’s siblings’ names: Moo Toon (“stewed pork”) and Moo Waan (“sweet pork”).

Since Moo’s debut on platforms like TikTok, where the cutie has already amassed millions of views, Moo Deng has inspired a flurry of fan art, memes, and even merchandise. The baby hippo’s fame has led to a surge in zoo attendance, with weekend visitor numbers more than tripling, as people flock to catch a glimpse of the internet’s latest animal celebrity. Despite the fun and excitement surrounding Moo Deng, the rising popularity of the popular animal has also prompted zoo officials to limit visitor interaction time to just five minutes, especially due to instances of mistreatment. In addition to online stardom, Moo Deng’s adorable antics — captured in videos of the hippo bouncing playfully, squirming during bath time, and biting and play-fighting with her carer — have created a social media darling.

Is Moo Deng a boy or girl?

@philstarlife
Two-month-old baby pygmy hippopotamus, Moo Deng, is going viral on social media for her adorable looks and meme-worthy antics. #entertainmentnewsph #KhaoKheowOpenZoo #thailandzoo
♬ original sound – philstarlife – philstarlife

According to the Khao Kheow Open Zoo officials, our bouncy little hippo Moo Deng is a girl. Moo Deng’s lively and playful personality shines through in the clever captions and videos shared by her caretaker. True to her name, Moo Deng loves to hop around, and her caretaker has captured plenty of heartwarming moments of her gleefully bouncing on social media. Even when she’s not hopping, her cuteness is undeniable. She’s even inspired a Sephora Thailand campaign, with the slogan encouraging fans to “wear your blush like a baby hippo.”

Though Moo Deng is still young, her rise to fame has highlighted an important cause. Pygmy hippos are an endangered species, with fewer than 3,000 left in the wild. Conservationists hope that her viral fame will bring greater attention to the plight of pygmy hippos, and inspire more people to get involved in their conservation efforts.