A video of a two-month-old pygmy hippopotamus staggering around its enclosure, biting a zookeeper and having water splashed on it has gone viral on the Internet, sparking discussion both in Thailand and abroad.
Moodeng has captured hearts across Asia, with cakes made in her image and online fans creating artwork showing off her cartoon-like rosy cheeks and bright eyes. One cosmetics chain jumped on the trend, urging social media users to “blush like a baby hippo”, along with pink and peach-hued products. Reflecting her growing global influence, Time magazine's website named her an “icon” and a “legend” and said, “She's the talk of the town”.
Her fame is TikTok account An account dedicated to the hippos and other animals at Khao Kheow Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand. The account has 2.5 million followers, with hundreds of thousands of people following its daily life accounts. Facebook And Instagram.
Attapol Nundee, a 31-year-old zookeeper at Khao Kheow Zoo, said he started posting videos of the animals on social media during the pandemic because he had more free time on his hands. Mooden, whose name means “bouncy pork” and is also the name of a Thai dish, has attracted the most attention so far.
“The moment Muden was born, my goal was to make her famous, but I didn't expect her to go viral overseas. I thought she might become famous in Thailand, but not internationally,” he said.
Tourists' social media videos have made her famous online, but he says her personality also helps. “They call her 'bouncy,' but she really is 'bouncy,'” Attapong says. Her siblings are also called various names for pork dishes: a half-sister is called Moo Wan (Thai sweet pork), another half-sister is called Pa Law (pork belly stew) and a brother is called Moo Tung (braised pork).
Her popularity has led to a surge in visitors to the zoo and raised concerns about her health, with tourists accused of throwing water and shells at her in an attempt to wake her up, apparently just to take photos.
Zoo authorities have condemned those who tried to disturb Mooden, and Attapong said security cameras had been installed and staff were on standby to keep an eye on Mooden.
“She sleeps most of the time,” Attapong said, adding that her behaviour is similar to that of a human baby, with playful outbursts and plenty of rest. “She only drinks her mother's milk. She doesn't eat anything else.” At two months old, she already weighs more than 20kg and may start eating grass from next month.
Adult pygmy hippos also like to sleep a lot during the day. “It gets pretty hot, so they mostly just sleep and stay in the water.”
The pygmy hippopotamus is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. A 1993 survey estimated that there were between 2,000 and 25,000 pygmy hippos left in the wild. Native to West Africa, pygmy hippos live near swamps and rivers, but are at risk of extinction due to habitat loss caused by human activities such as logging, mining and hunting.
Edwin Wieck, founder of Thailand's Wildlife Conservation Foundation, questioned the need to keep more pygmy hippos in zoos when they have already been successfully bred, saying the focus should be on keeping them in the wild. “Pygmy hippos are highly endangered, but in fact, with the right enforcement and conservation plans in the wild, they can do very well if left to their own devices,” he said.
Attapong said the zoo was keeping Muden and other animals in conditions as close to nature as possible, contributing to conservation efforts.
“I hope that people will learn about Mooden's cuteness and learn about him. [the species]” said Attapong.
