WATCH Moo Dengs zookeeper tells visitors to stop being cruel to baby hippo

Zoos are not ‘amusement parks,’ says pygmy hippo expert

⭐️HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW⭐️

• Moo Deng, a baby pygmy hippo born at a zoo in Thailand, has become famous on the internet. 
• Her viral fame has attracted thousands of visitors to the zoo.
• Some of those visitors have been accused of acting aggressively towards her.
• The zoo is working to keep the baby and her mother safe.
• Learn more about Moo Deng’s rise to fame below. ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

It may seem like Moo Deng is all over the internet these days.

The pygmy hippopotamus was born at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand in July and was introduced to the world on Facebook in August.

She quickly skyrocketed to viral internet fame. Some of her TikTok videos have millions of views.

That zoo said her online fame has led to a spike in real-life visitors.

Videos posted online also show some of those visitors have been mistreating her.

While it’s important to treat animals with respect, the online fame might not be so bad, according to one expert we spoke with.

Watch our 60-second video here that explains what happened:

The story of Moo Deng’s rise to popularity

Shortly after she was born, the zoo invited the public to help choose her name.

Moo Deng literally means “bouncy pork” and is quite fitting, as videos show her hopping and bouncing in her pen.

More than 4,000 visitors have been coming to the zoo to see Moo Deng on weekdays, compared to 800 on a normal weekday.

On weekends, that number swells to 10,000, according to Narongwit Chodchoi, the zoo’s director.

It’s become so busy on weekends that zoo officials have limited public access to the enclosure where Moo Deng lives with her mother, Jona.

Visitors are allowed five minutes to see her. Then they have to make space for the next group.

Some visitors’ actions towards the baby have raised concerns. 

Moo Deng is only awake and ready to play for about two hours a day. 

• Check out more cute animals in our photo gallery

Visitors who have been seen splashing water or throwing things at her appear to have been trying to wake her up, according to zoo officials who spoke with The Associated Press.

Narongwit said aggressive visitors could face legal actions. 

The zoo has installed additional security cameras and posted signs warning visitors not to throw things.

Bad behaviour at the zoo

Dr. Gabriella Flacke, a veterinarian at Zoo Miami in Florida and an expert in pygmy hippos, said it’s not uncommon for zoo visitors to act in inappropriate ways.

This is especially common when visitors are trying to get an animal’s attention or to get it to do something entertaining. 

A zoo is “not an amusement park,” she said. 

Visitors should “come to appreciate animals and their natural routines and behaviours, which include sometimes doing nothing,” Flacke said.

Throwing garbage or food into an enclosure could hurt an animal or make it sick.

• WATCH — Robert Irwin on conservation, photography and growing up in a zoo 

Despite the challenges, Flacke said that there could be some upsides to Moo Deng’s fame. 

It could help raise awareness about pygmy hippos and their endangered status. 

There are only an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 of pygmy hippopotamus’s living in the wild, according to the Associated Press. 

They are a much smaller species compared to their more well-known counterpart, the Nile Hippo.

• WATCH — Newborn hippo bonds with mom

Flacke said pygmies are only about one-10th of the size of the much larger and more dangerous hippopotamus.

The pygmy hippo is hard to spot in the wild, she said. 

They only live in some specific areas in West Africa. The species is threatened by poaching (illegal hunting) and loss of habitat. 

• WATCH — Rosa the rhino is a mom! Find out why her baby is so important

Flacke said she hopes the zoo is “using the cuteness and the appeal” as a way to educate the public about conservation and how to care for pygmy hippos. 

Indeed, the staff at Moo Deng’s home zoo said they are capitalizing on her fame to help fund their conservation and breeding programs.

They are working to copyright and trademark “Moo Deng the hippo” and are planning to sell clothing and other merchandise. 

“After we do this, we will have more income to support activities that will make the animals’ lives better,” Narongwit said to The Associated Press.

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With files from The Associated Press 
TOP IMAGE CREDIT: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images, Ainara Alleyne/CBC, graphic design by Philip Street/CBC