Happy Birthday, Moo Deng: The world's beloved pygmy hippo turns 1

Global News

3 days ago

The internet's most loved hippo is celebrating her first birthday.
Moo Deng, the pygmy hippo from Thailand who captured the hearts of people across the globe with her playful personality and goofy antics, is being treated to four days of festivities in celebration of her first full trip around the sun.
Staff at Khao Kheow Open Zoo treated the hippo to a three-tier cake adorned with rainbows, flowers, and her favourite snack, watermelon.
View image in full screen
Zoo staff prepare a cake for Moo Deng, the popular pygmy hippo from Thailand, on her first birthday. Lauren DeCicca / Getty Images
Throughout the four-day event, children under 12 years old can enter the zoo, which is about a two-hour drive from the capital, Bangkok, for free.
Story continues below advertisement
Moo Deng's fans, including adults, have come from far and wide to watch her celebrate.
Among them was Molly Swindall, who flew from New York to catch a glimpse of the famous hippo.
She was seen handing a tray of food to a zoo keeper for Moo Deng's breakfast, which the baby hippo and her mother, Jona, gobbled up.
View image in full screen
Moo Deng eats a fruit-topped cake with her mother, Jona. Lauren DeCicca / Getty Images
'I just loved her so much and decided, you know what, I have three or four days off of work … I can make it work to fly to Thailand,' Swindall told The Associated Press. I will only be there for about 30 hours, but that's enough to go see Moo Deng. And that's exactly what I did.'
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
Zoo director Narongwit Chodchoy said that by Thursday afternoon, 12,000 people had visited the zoo, but Moo Deng remained calm amid the hysteria.
Story continues below advertisement
Chodchoy said the number of visitors has dropped since the height of Moo Deng's fame last year, and that the zoo has had about 2,000 visitors during a weekday and around 5,000 during weekends over the past few months — about half the numbers it saw at its peak.
1:24
Meet Moo Deng, a baby pygmy hippo melting hearts around the world
Fans photographed the baby hippo and sang her 'Happy Birthday' as she was presented with an elaborate cake.
Meanwhile, more Moo Deng lovers spoke of their admiration for her.
'Moo Deng is my happy pill, and she's my energy pill, my curing pill. She's my vitamin!' Thea Chavez, who flew in from Houston, Texas, said.
Another fan, Jennifer Tang from Malaysia, leaned over the enclosure to take pictures.
'She makes me happy. Whenever I'm stressed at work, I pull up photos of Moo Deng,' Tang said. 'So my whole office knows that I'm here … They let me take a week off.'
Story continues below advertisement
The zoo also held an auction for the privilege of sponsoring Moo Deng's birthday cake, which went for 100,000 baht, about US$3,065.
Moo Deng went viral on TikTok shortly after she was born when her keeper, Atthapon Nundee, began sharing sweet videos of her playing, hilariously squirming at the idea of a bath, munching on veggies, napping and leisurely going about her day.
View image in full screen
Moo Deng is seen sunbathing in her enclosure at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo on Nov. 26, 2024, in Chonburi, Thailand. Matt Jelonek / Getty Images
The name Moo Deng, which means 'bouncy pork' in Thai, was chosen by fans. It matches the names of her siblings: Moo Toon (stewed pork) and Moo Waan (sweet pork). There is also another hippo at the zoo named Kha Moo (stewed pork leg).
— With files from The Associated Press