Thousands celebrate baby hippo Moo Deng's first birthday at Thailand zoo
The Khao Kheow Open Zoo was overrun with Moo Deng's fans on the first of four days of activities marking the hippo's birthday. Children under 12 years old can enter the zoo, which is about a two hour drive from the capital Bangkok, for free throughout the extravaganza.
Excited fans
Many of Moo Deng's fans flew miles to see her.
Among them was Molly Swindall, who traveled from New York for the celebrations. 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 quickly devoured.
'Everything I was seeing started to be Moo Deng and I just loved her so much and decided, you know what, I have three or four days off of work," said Swindall, "I can make it work to fly to Thailand. 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.'
By Thursday afternoon, the number of visitors reached 12,000, zoo director Narongwit Chodchoy said. Despite the noise of visitors calling out for her attention, Moo Deng appeared peaceful as she took a dip in a pond in her enclosure.
Fans took pictures of the baby hippo on their cameras or cell phones and sang 'Happy birthday' as her birthday cake, made of a variety of fruits and vegetables, was placed near the pond.
'Moo Deng is my happy pill, and she's my energy pill, my curing pill. She's my vitamin!' said Thea Chavez, who flew in from Houston, Texas.
Another fan from neighboring Malaysia, Jennifer Tang, 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.'
The zoo held online auctions to celebrate Moo Deng's birthday, with photos, footprints and a food container on offer to raise funds for all the animals under their care.
They also held an auction for the honor of sponsoring her birthday cake, which went for 100,000 baht ($3,065.)
Moo Deng's stardom
Moo Deng soared to stardom shortly after she was born, largely thanks to her keeper Atthapon Nundee who shared adorable pictures and videos of the baby hippo on social media. Atthapon keeps Moo Deng's fans updated with moments of her squirming as he tries to wash her, biting him as he tries to play, or calmly closing her eyes as he rubs her belly.
Moo Deng, which literally means 'bouncy pork' in Thai, is a type of meatball. The name was chosen by fans via a poll on social media. It matches the names of her other siblings: Moo Toon (stewed pork) and Moo Waan (sweet pork). There is also a common hippo at the zoo named Kha Moo (stewed pork leg).
The Khao Kheow Open Zoo saw spikes of visitors since shortly after Moo Deng was born. But Narongwit said the number of visitors to the zoo has somewhat dropped since the height of Moo Deng's fame. He said 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.
'Moo Deng is a representative of all wild animals, and she helps everyone understand the roles of zoos,' Narongwit told The Associated Press. 'She speaks for all nearly extinct animals, and turns people's attention to their conservation.'
The zoo sits on 800 hectares (almost 2,000 acres) of land and is home to more than 2,000 animals.
It runs breeder programs for many endangered species including the pygmy hippopotamus. The species is native to West Africa, where it is threatened by poaching and loss of habitat. There are only 2,000 to 3,000 left in the wild.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
14 hours ago
- The Sun
Golf star who is Buddhist monk tearing it up at The Open thanks to Zen-like focus
GOLF star Sadom Kaewkanjana is hoping to continue his winning habit - after taking time out to become a MONK. The 27-year-old from Thailand took time away from the sport to become ordained as a Buddhist monk and practice meditation. His win at Kolon Korea Open earned him a place at Royal Portrush. And he seized the chance with an opening round of 68 to lie at -3. Kaewkanjana said: 'Being a monk helps me with my concentration, both on the golf course and away from the golf course. 'It has made me focus. "I forget everything on the outside, just live in the present, just stay in my mind. "I really enjoy being a monk.' His Zen-like focus was put to the test in testing conditions at The Open on Thursday. But he fared better than many of the biggest names in the sport such as Jon Rahm (-1), Xander Schauffele (E) and Bryson DeChambeau (+7). Kaewkanjana has ten professional wins in Asia, and admitted he has never experienced anything like Portrush. He said: 'We have no links courses so it's a new experience for me. "I really enjoy playing a links golf course. "It's fun to play with a windy course and tough conditions.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Swedish King Carl Gustaf leaves his family in stitches with his whacky dance moves as he celebrates his daughter's birthday
King Carl Gustaf of Sweden has delighted royal fans by dancing along to a song sung by a children's choir during his daughter's birthday celebrations on Monday. The monarch, 79, channelled his inner embarrassing father as the Swedish Royal Family gathered outside Solliden Palace in Oeland to celebrate Crown Princess Victoria 's 48th birthday. The heir to the Swedish throne was joined by her husband, Prince Daniel, 51, and their two children, Princess Estelle, 13, and Prince Oscar, nine, along with her parents Queen Silvia, 81, and King Carl Gustaf. A children's choir adorably performed the 1998 popular Swedish song Min piraya Maja, by Electric Banana Band, during a concert for the occasion. The song is about a beloved pet piranha named Maya, and the band often performs a dance when performing where they place their hands together, similar to the crab dance, and mimic Maya's sharp teeth. And King Carl Gustaf did not disappoint, as he took it upon himself to make the family laugh by enthusiastically showing off his hilarious dance moves. Shortly after introducing the young choir, the royal was pointing to the audience to encourage them to join in with him as he flailed his arms from side to side while chattering his fingertips together. The King then glanced over to his family - who were in a fit of laughter - and even inspired Victoria and his grandchildren, Oscar and Estelle, to join in on the fun. At one point, Estelle, who is second in line to the Swedish throne, is seen nudging Prince Daniel's arm in a bid to get her father to partake in the dance. And the chuckling did not stop there, as King Gustav seemingly left his daughter in stitches when they sat down to listen to the live music. The Crown Princess put her best fashion foot forward in an elegant mint green and baby pink full-length gown adorned with vibrant flowers. She wore her chocolate tresses in her signature slicked back bun and accessorised her chic look with white flower stud earrings. King Carl Gustaf looked typically dapper in a crisp beige suit, a similar ensemble to his son-in-law, Prince Daniel, who opted for a brown tartan suit. Queen Silvia unleashed her inner style prowess by sporting a pink, black and white tweed jacket emblazoned with gold buttons paired with an ivory shirt and white trousers. Whereas her grandchildren opted for more simplistic outfits, with Estelle wearing a summery baby blue patterned sundress and Oscar donning an all white outfit with shorts. However, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia were absent from the event, perhaps taking care of their new daughter, Princess Ines Marie Lilian Silva, now six months old. The family were snapped together last month to celebrate the christening of Princess Ines at a lavish ceremony in Stockholm. The glamorous couple, already parents to Prince Alexander, nine, Prince Gabriel, seven, and Prince Julian, four, welcomed their fourth child on February 7. Surrounded by her family, including Carl Philip's sisters, heir-to-the-throne Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine, the little one was christened at Drottningholm Palace Chapel, just outside the Swedish capital. Among the glamorous guests were Carl Philip's parents, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia as well as the newborn's older cousins, including Crown Princess Victoria's children, Princess Estelle, 13, and Prince Oscar, nine. It was also revealed that Estelle, second-in-line to the throne, is one of Ines' godparents. The Swedish Palace announced Princess Ines' birth on February 7, with Princess Sofia and Prince Philip's daughter eighth in line to the throne. While she is eighth in line to the throne, Sofia and Carl Philip's child will not have an HRH style title because of a decision made by King Carl XVI Gustaf in 2019. During his Christmas speech, he revealed that he was stripping his grandchildren of their titles so that it could help them 'eventually carve out their own future'. The monarch said at the time: 'The decision was to make clear who within the royal family will act as official representatives of Sweden in the future. For me, this is a way of clarifying what expectations are. 'It will hopefully be helpful when my grandchildren eventually carve out their own future. But, to that day, it is far away.'
Time Out
3 days ago
- Time Out
Moo Deng's first Birthday comes with a kingdom-sized present
Moo Deng's first birthday bash has come and gone. Over four days, 28,890 local and international visitors flooded Khao Kheow Open Zoo to celebrate this basin baby. They carved her a cake from earth's bounty. A fruit-and-veggie cake was sculpted for the birthday girl herself. Then Moo Deng rang in her first year with a birthday shower that gave us a chaotic, wet-floor ballet. Next came the first-ever official Moo Deng Coin by a collectible currency crafted for the Wildlife Sponsorship Programme. As the confetti settles, the zoo offers its star resident (and us) the ultimate grand gesture: a rebrand of the Khao Kheow Open Zoo's Hippo Village. Plans are still under wraps but teaser visuals appeared on the zoo's Facebook page, causing fans to swoon in the comments: 'So pretty, just like Moo Deng,' said one. 'Hey, Moo Deng, let me know when it's finished so I can visit often,' said another. Post-birthday, her keepers wrapped it up with heartfelt words on Facebook: 'The event's wrapped up – thank you to everyone who came to see Moo Deng! And to the international fans who flew in from all over the world. We never thought people would cross oceans just to see a hippo standing in a basin.' And that's our girl, closing out her first chapter. This went from a full-blown zoo celebration to an international spectacle, with fans crossing oceans just to watch Moo Deng splash. With year one behind her and a village makeover looming, year two is already shaping up louder, wilder and more splash-worthy.
