Every once in a while a cute animal captures the hearts of people around the world. There was Dolly the Sheep, Bart the Bear and April the Giraffe. This time it comes in the form of a female pachyderm known as Moo Deng. Translated to English, the name Moo Deng means “bouncy pig” or “bouncy pork”. Her siblings are named Moo Wan ("sweet pork") and Moo Tun ("stewed pork"). The name was chosen after the zoo held a Facebook poll with over 20,000 voters. 

On July 10, 2024 in Thailand's Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Moo Deng was born. She is a female pygmy hippo who was the seventh born to her mother, Jona, and father, Tony. Pygmy refers to a type of animal that is smaller than other animals of its species. These pygmy hippos can weigh 397–606 lbs, live up to 50 years and are native to the forests and swamps of West Africa. Unfortunately, this is an endangered species with around 2000 to 2500 adults in existence, making it a very rare type of animal.

After videos of her eating, bathing and opening doors were uploaded on Instagram in September 2024, she instantly became a popular internet meme, garnering millions of views on the platform. Many people love the animal for her playful and energetic personality. She is described as fun to look at, always slippery and more energetic than other hippos.

Moo Deng has become a blessing for the Khao Kheow Open Zoo because it has caused a massive influx of tourists. Between September 5 and September 11, 2024, there were 14,138 visitors at the zoo, compared to the 9,000 visitors during the two previous weekends. Moo Deng is so popular that the zoo has officially trademarked the name, leading to an official line of merchandise being sold at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo. Items for purchase include pants, t-shirts, pajamas, hats, costumes, mugs and toys - all of which immediately sold out. Her popularity was so great the zoo eventually gave the hippo its own live stream so people worldwide can watch Moo Deng whenever they want.

Recently, Moo Deng was presented with two fruit baskets in her cave made to look like cakes. In preparation for the U.S. election, one cake was 

decorated with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris's name, and the other with Republican candidate Donald Trump's name. She quickly began munching on the Trump cake, making an accurate prediction for the election.