Baby hippo Moo Deng draws record crowds to Khao Kheow Zoo

Baby hippopotamus Moo Deng or “bouncy pig” has captured the hearts of visitors and netizens alike, leading to more than 10,000 people showing up at the Khao Kheow Zoo over the weekend to catch sight of her. 

Narongwit Chodchoi, director of the zoo in Chonburi, said on Monday that the two-month-old pygmy hippo’s antics have gone viral on social media, attracting attention from both local and international audiences. He said even foreign press members have shown up to capture her endearing actions on film. 

He noted that the number of visitors had risen to 10,000 on Saturday compared to the usual 800 or 900 on weekdays and about 4,000 on holidays. Khao Kheow is about 100 kilometres from the capital. 

To ensure the safety and well-being of Moo Deng, the zoo is limited visits to five minutes per round and plans to install CCTV cameras at the hippo pond. This action was taken after videos on social media showed some visitors throwing shellfish and even water at Moo Deng to wake her. 

However, caretaker, Akkapol, 31, expressed fatherly pride in Moo Deng’s newfound fame, adding that images of the podgy animal had gone viral on the “Kha Moo & the Gang” TikTok and Facebook pages. He reckons Moo Deng will continue being a star even after she’s grown up.  

Visitors, meanwhile, have expressed their delight in meeting Moo Deng, though Savitree, 42, who had come from Chachoengsao, said she had been waiting a long time to catch sight of the cute hippo. She said she hoped the zoo would give small children and their parents the first preference when it comes to visiting Moo Deng. 

Eight-year-old Teerada, meanwhile, said she and her parents had come to the zoo at 7am to see the baby hippo, adding that Moo Deng was so cute, she wanted to take her home. 

Pygmy hippos are native to West Africa and classified as “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Experts believe there are fewer than 3,000 left in the wild.