Every so often, an unusual animal captures the hearts of internet users, and becomes a viral star. Remember April the giraffe, who delivered her baby on a live webcam back in 2017? (RIP, sweet mama -- April passed in 2021). Now, meet Moo Deng, a baby pygmy hippopotamus who's beguiling the world from her home at a Thailand zoo. Here's what to know about this chubby cutie.
Who's Moo Deng, and how did she go viral?
Moo Deng is a female pygmy hippo born in July at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chon Buri, Thailand. The zoo held a Facebook poll to name her. Moo Deng, which The New York Times says translates to "bouncy pork," easily beat out Moo Sap ("minced pork") and Moo Daeng ("red pork"). The Independent says Moo Deng is a kind of meatball, which is equally great as a name for this little meatball.
Moo Deng is the seventh baby born at the zoo to her mother, Jona, who is 25 years old, and her father, Tony, who is 24, the Independent reports. Pygmy hippos can live to be 50 but are an endangered species, with only 2,000 to 2,500 adults in existence.
The Times reports that while zookeeper Atthapon Nundee began sharing Moo Deng on social media right away, she really took off with fans when content creator Yammi Saracino translated the naming poll into English and shared it on social media. The attached video has more than 2.6 million views.
Splish-splash, Moo Deng's getting a bath.
Lillian Suwanrumpha/Getty ImagesWhy do people love Moo Deng so much?
Have you seen her? The roly-poly little viral star is just fun to look at. And she's mischievous too -- she's teething but likes to nip her keeper. And she's a baby, which leads to fun welcome-to-the-world videos, such as one showing her learning how to walk up a slanted edge of her pool.
You'll see her in plenty of memes too. Just as with the dearly departed Grumpy Cat and other famed internet animals, it's easy to slap a caption on a photo of Moo Deng that depicts her dealing with life as we do. BuzzFeed even has a Moo Deng AI image generator that puts her into all kinds of situations, such as becoming president or eating a Dole Whip at Disney World.
The zookeeper who cares for pygmy hippo Moo Deng in Thailand cradles the animal's head in order to take a photo.
Picture Alliance/Getty ImagesHow can I watch Moo Deng living her best life?
There's a 24/7 webcam in the Asian elephant section at the zoo, where Moo Deng lives. Time zones exist, however, so you may check it in the afternoon your time and find out it's dark and quiet in Thailand, with no animals visible.