Moo Deng "fever" attracts tens of thousands of people to visit Thailand zoo

Moo Deng the pygmy hippo

Moo Deng, which means "jumping pig" in Thai, is famous for short videos shared by staff at Khao Kheow Zoo on social media, recording daily life full of clumsy but very charming and adorable actions, attracting millions of fans to follow. For example, the video recording the tiny hippo Moo Deng trying to bite the caretaker despite not having teeth yet or the video recording Moo Deng yawning and enjoying the petting from the caretaker has attracted 5.8 million views and this number continues to grow.

Moo Deng's sudden popularity has also caught zoo staff off guard. Narungwit Chodchoy, director of Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, said that normally on weekdays and during the rainy season - which is the low season - the facility receives about 800 visitors a day. However, the zoo now receives between 3,000 and 4,000 people on weekdays and about 20,000 on weekends, most of whom come to see Moo Deng. "Moo Deng fever" has motivated the facility to increase its service organization so that all visitors can meet this baby hippo.

However, Mr Narongwit said that although the number of visitors to the zoo has increased by at least 30%, Moo Deng's popularity has also caused unwanted disruption to his life. The zoo director urged visitors to consider their actions and avoid causing harm when interacting with Moo Deng, warning that legal action may be considered for harming the baby hippo.

Moo Deng was born on July 10, and has siblings Moo Toon and Moo Warn, all named after Thai dishes. Moo Deng's grandmother, Malee, recently celebrated her 59th birthday, making her Thailand's oldest hippo. Native to West Africa, pygmy hippos are a subspecies of the common hippopotamus. According to the UK-based Pygmy Hippo Foundation, there are only about 2,000 pygmy hippos left in the wild, mainly in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire.

TB (according to VNA)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/con-sot-moo-deng-keo-hang-chuc-nghin-nguoi-toi-tham-so-thu-thai-lan-393265.html