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Moo Deng Draws Attention to Endangered Species

Chonburi, Thailand —(Map)

A baby pygmy hippo named Moo Deng has become a huge internet star. Videos and pictures of Moo Deng have made her famous online, and have drawn thousands of people to the zoo in Thailand where she lives. The zoo hopes her fame can help bring attention to her endangered species.

Moo Deng is a baby pygmy hippopotamus, a special kind of small hippo that naturally lives in forests in West Africa. She was born at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand in July, and she’s now two months old.

Moo Deng, whose name means “bouncy pork”, is playful, and has a strong personality. People on the internet voted for the name, which seemed to match her lively nature. Her keeper, Atthapon Nundee, has been posting videos of Moo Deng on social media since she was very young. The videos have made Moo Deng famous.

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Moo Deng is a baby pygmy hippopotamus, born at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand in July. She’s now two months old, and her playful, crazy personality has made her a huge internet star.

In fact, Moo Deng’s videos and pictures have become much more popular than anyone expected. She’s very playful, and sometimes seems a little crazy. People around the world have been amused by videos of Moo Deng trotting around, spending time with her mother, and playfully trying to bite Mr. Nundee.

Now Moo Deng has millions of fans. People keep sharing pictures and videos of her. Companies have used pictures of Moo Deng to make jokes, and to sell things from makeup to cakes.

Moo Deng’s popularity is making the zoo more popular, too. Now, thousands of people visit the zoo every day.

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Moo Deng has millions of fans. People keep sharing pictures and videos of her online. Moo Deng’s popularity is making the zoo more popular, too. Now, thousands of people visit the zoo every day (above).

The zoo hopes that all the attention can help them raise money. The zoo created special clothes with pictures of Moo Deng. The clothes soon sold out. The zoo is also taking steps to legally protect Moo Deng’s name and image. The zoo plans to use the money to help raise more of the endangered animals.

Protecting pygmy hippos is important. There are only about 2,500 pygmy hippos left in the wild. The forests in West Africa where pygmy hippos live are being destroyed. In some cases, pygmy hippos are also hunted for food.

When she grows up, Moo Deng will be much smaller than a common hippo. Pygmy hippos grow to be about 3 feet (1 meter) tall and close to 6 feet (2 meters) long. They weigh between 350 and 600 pounds (160 and 272 kilograms). That may seem heavy, but it’s light compared to a common hippo, which can weigh almost 10,000 pounds (4,500 kilograms).

Moo deng, a pygmy hippo in Khao Khoew Zoo, Thailand
Protecting pygmy hippos is important. There are only about 2,500 pygmy hippos left in the wild. The forests in West Africa where pygmy hippos live are being destroyed. The zoo hopes that the interest in Moo Deng will bring in money that will help them raise more pygmy hippos.
(Source: MGR Online VDO [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.)

Even inside the safety of the zoo, Moo Deng has faced challenges. Some people have thrown water or other things at her, trying to make her more active. As a result, the zoo has taken steps to protect the young hippo, limiting the number of people who can see her at one time, and how long the visitors can stay.

The zoo is also setting up an internet webcam. That way, people who can’t get enough of Moo Deng will be able to see what’s she’s up to – 24 hours a day.


Did You Know…?
Moo Deng also has sisters and a brother, but she’s the one who seems to have really caught people’s imagination.

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