Moo Deng, the Baby Hippo, Learns the Price of Fame
The internet loves cute animals. But it takes something special to go from a flash-in-the-pan viral sensation to a genuine international celebrity. For Moo Deng, the baby pygmy hippo who has stolen hearts around the world, the last few months have been a whirlwind. Log on to any social media platform today and you’re going to see so many Moo Deng fancams, edits, and tribute posts that it’s probably making BTS insecure!
Sadly, there’s a price to fame—ask any pop star from Paul McCartney to Chappell Roan how hard it is to deal with obsessive fans. And make no mistake, Moo Deng’s skyrocketing popularity is currently reaching pop icon status with every passing day. At just two months of age, is our precious hippo princess ready for the attention?
Moo Deng is now a bonafide superstar, and with her as an attraction, the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand is selling tickets like it’s the next coming of the Eras Tour. Visitor footfalls to the zoo have more than tripled since Moo Deng became internet-famous. Of course, as a baby, Moo Deng spends a good chunk of the day asleep, which might be disappointing to the thousands of devotees who traveled to see her. This has lead to some annoying zoo visitors trying to bring out Moo Deng’s famous feistiness by throwing water into the enclosure.
Bad idea! As the de facto mascot of the entire zoo, the administration takes Moo Deng’s beauty sleep very seriously. The baby hippo plays for about two hours a day, and visitors have to be satisfied with what she serves! The crowds have gotten so unruly in the excitement to see the animal celebrity du jour that the zoo’s director has had to threaten legal action against visitors who harass Moo Deng. Also, a time limit has been imposed. Visitors will be allowed to view Moo Deng’s enclosure in small groups of 30 to 50 people at once, and each viewing will only last five minutes.
Once again, it’s the unhinged stans who have ruined a good thing for the rest of us, who just wanted to enjoy an excitable, cuddly, and ferociously cute little baby hippo’s antics. Still, what’s good for Moo Deng is good for us all. If these new protocols at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo protect her from weird, invasive fans, that’s the best we can hope for. With pygmy hippos being known to live for over 50 years if healthy, we want Moo Deng to keep us entertained for years to come!
