Baby Pygmy Hippopotamus Wins Hearts Around the World

(ANSA) – ROME, SEPTEMBER 13 – A baby pygmy hippo has captured hearts around the world. Moo Deng – a name that roughly translates to “jumping pig” – is a two-month-old female pygmy hippo who is going viral online and drawing crowds to a zoo near the city of Pattaya, Thailand. Her story was covered by the BBC. But zoo director Atthapon urged people to behave when they come to see Moo Deng, after videos emerged showing visitors throwing objects or splashing water to wake the cub. “Moo Deng sleeps most of the time,” said Atthapon, who added that her behavior is similar to that of a newborn, with playful outbursts and lots of rest. “She only drinks her mother’s milk, she doesn’t eat anything else apart from milk.” At two months old, she already weighs more than 20kg and it is possible that she will start eating grass next month. The tiny hippo has thousands of fans who have made cakes in her image and artwork showing off her cartoonishly rosy cheeks and bright eyes. A cosmetics chain has even jumped on the trend, encouraging social media users to “wear blush like a baby hippo” in posts promoting products in shades of pink and peach. Given her growing global influence, Time magazine’s website has called her an “Icon” and a “Legend”; “She Is the Moment.” Her fame stems from a TikTok account with 2.5 million followers dedicated to the hippos and other species at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand. Hundreds of thousands of people also follow accounts documenting their daily lives on Facebook and Instagram. Pygmy hippos, otherwise known as pygmy hippos, are native to West Africa and are classified as “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Experts believe there are fewer than 3,000 left in the wild. (ANSA).