Hippo attracts fans worldwide

Moo Deng, the rising star at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chon Buri. (Photo: Khao Khewo Open Zoo Facebook account)
Moo Deng, the newest addition to Chon Buri’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo, ( Photo: Khao Khewo Open Zoo Facebook account )

After being covered by a number of foreign media outlets, Moo Deng, the two-month-old pygmy hippo at Chon Buri’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo, has a fresh and growing global fan base.

For example, a report in Time magazine was published on Friday that claimed Moo Deng had won the hearts of millions of web users after watching videos of her lively behavior while being sprayed with waters, carried by zookeepers, or simply lying in the sun.

The magazine content” Meet Viral Baby Hippo Moo Deng: She’s an Icon” with the subheadline” She’s a Legend, and She Is the Minute” was broadly shared online.

The Guardian, BBC, the Straits Times, and a number of Chinese television stations, including Fuji Television and ANN News Network, have just covered Moo Deng.

Followers in Japan have been creating a constant supply of images of the young crocodile, with some incorporating baking cakes into her creation, and others creating painting to show off her features.

A fan club keeps track of her actions through numerous articles and changes, and Khao Kheo Open Zoo has even made shirts and shorts bearing her picture so viewers can purchase them online.

Moo Deng sleeps the majority of her time, up until 8 a.m. and until 2 p.m., according to Zoo producer Narongwit Chodchoi, excluding her mother’s giving time at 2 p.m.

He even urged visitors to stay away from Moo Deng while she is sleeping to keep her safe. He said the zoo will ponder filing a lawsuit against its rooms because it has installed CCTV cameras around the walls.