Moo Deng Baby pygymy hippo Moo Deng has the internet head-over-heels in awe of her adorable rolls and chubby face.
Image: @MooDengSOL on X.
Pygymy hippo Moo Deng has taken the internet by storm at only two-months-old.
Residing at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand, the baby hippo has gone viral in the last month after X users liked and retweeted videos of her daily zoo activities.
Since her new found stardom, X users have even created fan art and inserted the pygmy hippo into memes.
Born just two months ago, Moo Deng is being well taken care of at Khao Kheow Open Zoo. Residing with her mother, she enjoys drinking lots of water and pretending to chew leaves as pygymy hippos don't form their molar teeth until about six-months-old.
The chubby baby is getting used to the attention by now as videos from social media show her having close relationships with her caretakers.
Since launching to internet stardom, her celebrity has been propelled by internet fanart and memes. Just recently, the American National Football team Washington Commanders posted a game photo with Moo Deng photoshopped in the bottom right corner.
Other X users created short animated edits of Moo Deng or drawings where the hippo is wearing baby human clothes.
Moo Deng Moo Deng's popularity has even reached the United States leading to sport's teams capitalizing on her cuteness.
Image: Washington Commanders
Due to her popularity, the zoo has begun selling merchandise with Moo Deng's likeness to support funding the operations.
Additionally, the number of September visitors has almost doubled, leading to a five minute viewing limit to accommodate the boom.
Unfortunately, some visitors have also been harassing the hippo, but such behaviour has been condemned online.
Moo Deng X users are adamant baby Moo Deng must be protected from those who wish her harm.
Image: The Nation
As a species, the pygymy hippos share many similarities with the African hippo. The main differences are found in the two species\height and weight. Pygymy hippos only grow to about 1/2 the height and a 1/4 of the weight of their African counterparts.
However, they are both herbivores and have sharp teeth that are used in the wild for self defense.
While it is unclear how long this "Bouncy Pig Fever" will last, for the moment Moo Deng has reignited the conversation around zoos and animal captivity in the most adorable way possible.
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