Moo Deng: Her Overnight Fame as a Call for Animal Awareness
Yahya Ibrahim Yusop
How could a local animal flood the fame all over the internet – like for real? Though quite common to be featured, only this time around, an ‘extremely cute’ creature takes the entire platform for its undeniable and distinguishing characteristics. And that booms the Internet from an animal – a hippo.
Unlike other content creators out there who put hard work for an instant sensation, a local hippo could beat the record for just her and her adorable activities . It is different to see a hippo on screen, getting famous and people were lining up just to see her. .
“Really? With a hippo?” That sounds unbelievable yet this absolutely says how cutesy the trend of this Thai pygmy hippopotamus, locally called “Moo Deng.” This article will immerse you deep down the Moo Deng craze.
Meant to be a Star
Just this September, a two-month old female pygmy hippo who was uniquely roaming, eating, and sleeping like other hippos and also had attributes such as a moisten complexion, chubby body, distinct potato shape form, and pinky cheeks have caused netizen in a frenzy – and she was named “Moo Deng” or “Bouncy pork.” Her natural features plus bubbly characteristics immediately caught the attention of netizens, becoming the reason behind the viral hippo sensation from the exotic wildlife country.
Moo Deng, as an instant superstar hippo, would never do anything but just to be a typical hippo – quite different only with her distinguishing physical features and her activities under the care of a local zoo in Thailand.
Born on July 10 at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Cjon Buri, Thailand, her cuteness went viral after her zookeeper filmed her napping, nursing, wobbling around the water and biting the zookeeper. Unimaginable, Moo Deng became a rising star of the internet for being an adorable and bubbly creature.
Moo Deng Craze in Town
The phenomenon of Moo Deng overflew the internet, favoring her unique presence and personality upon the zookeeper’s filming. Proving her sensational fame, Moo Deng fever spread across various social media platforms.
Netizens then made several hippo meme-worthy content, flooding all over Facebook, X (formely Twitter), and TikTok in almost all forms. These contents displayed and shared this particular aim of reaching the obsessional peak – through her charm and lovable character that made everyone be in awe of this "cutesy little hippo.”
Moreover, some merchandise such as t-shirts, posters, stickers, and home decors, were also created in the appearance of Moo Deng, selling the continuous love and attraction for her. Even Sephora Thailand was inspired by her natural facial features that established its make-up palette and effect dubbed “wear your blush like a baby hippo” tip, setting the redefinition of beauty standards from Moo Deng.
Double Win, Double Threat
Khao Kheow Open Zoo where Moo Deng resides, started to accumulate more visitors all around the world to personally see her and her activities. Doubling the number of visitors up to 10,000 a day, the icon itself centralizes the fame of the zoo and its growing income, especially weekends, and those who travel from different countries.
From mere fans to the avid one, the zoo itself became populous just for Moo Deng – never missing the chances to take photos and videos of her with the zookeeper. This keeps growing and harvesting the earnings of the zoo from such thousands of visitors for a hippo, like her.
However, the management of the zoo speaks up against the mistreatment of Moo Deng and other hippos as reported on various websites. From splashing water and throwing food at her, Narongwit Chodchoi, the zoo’s director became alarmed and concerned, describing these behaviors as “not only cruel but dangerous” towards the comfort and environment of Moo Deng and the rest of the animals inside the zoo — knowing its endangerment today can cause anxiety and panic attacks amongst the said animals.
Moo Deng is not just a mere animal who is just seen on screen and at the zoo. How could an animal grab fame unlike other phenomenal creatures? Well, that never denies how far her fame goes on worldwide.
Indeed, Moo Deng is not your typical hippo. She is full of unique characteristics that sensationally made hype throughout the world. Yet, with the consideration of their protection and security, the craze may crush their lives along the way. Thus, her fame calls for preservation to continue the entertainment and sustainability among Moo Deng and other hippos around the globe.