Current:Home > MyBenjamin Ashford|Who's that baby hippo on your timeline? Meet the wet, chubby 'lifestyle icon' captivating the internet -Capitatum
Benjamin Ashford|Who's that baby hippo on your timeline? Meet the wet, chubby 'lifestyle icon' captivating the internet
TrendPulse View
Date:2025-04-11 09:44:33
Oh,Benjamin Ashford baby! A little hippo in Thailand has taken the internet by storm, becoming a viral sensation and even inspiring Sephora to post about blushes that will make people "blush like a baby hippo."
Moo Deng, a baby pygmy hippopotamus at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in eastern Thailand about two hours from Bangkok, has the internet and the world in a chokehold with her chubby, pink cheeks, tummy rolls and adorable expressions.
The two-month-old, whose name means "bouncing pig" in Thai, has millions of fans on social media following her clumsy adventures, including trying to nibble her handler despite not having teeth.
Who is Moo Deng?
Moo Deng was born on June 10, to mother Jona, 25 and father Tony, 24, with two other siblings Pork Stew and Sweet Pork at the zoo in Chonburi, NorthJersey.com, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, reported. She is the seventh child born to the hippo couple and is also the sibling of Moo Toon, another famous hippo, Pattaya Mail reported. Moo Deng is also the granddaughter of Thailand's oldest hippo, Malee, who recently celebrated her 59th birthday. The median life expectancy of pygmy hippos is 27 years, according to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
Pygmy hippopotamuses are a small breed of hippopotamus that are native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, according to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. They are known to be solitary and nocturnal but can sometimes be found in small family groups. Adults grow up to two and half to three feet high and around five feet in length, weighing between 350-600 pounds. Pygmy hippos are now classified as endangered, the alliance said, with possibly less than 3,000 individuals remaining in their native habitat.
Zoo draws thousands of visitors
Moo Deng's internet-fame has also translated into real life celebrity fame with the zoo drawing thousands of visitors, who visit every day just to get a glimpse of her.
Director of the Khao Kheow Open Zoo Narungwit Chodchoy told Reuters the zoo normally gets around 800 visitors on any given day during the rainy season, "which is a low season." After Moo Deng catapulted to fame, the zoo is now getting 3,000 to 4,000 people on weekdays, and welcomed almost 20,000 visitors over the weekend, Chodchoy said, adding that most of them came just to see Moo Deng.
"Moo Deng fever means we will have organize better so all visitors can see her," Narungwit told the media outlet.
Narungwit has also issued strict orders against those who bother Moo Deng after videos of visitors throwing water and shells on the baby pygmy were shared to social media, according to Pattaya Mail. Staff presence has also been increased during peak hours and surveillance cameras have also been installed.
Moo Deng: 'A lifestyle icon'
Moo Deng has inspired several advertisements including by Sephora Thailand and the NBA's Utah Jazz, with internet users referring to her as a 'lifestyle icon."
Contributing: Reuters, Maria Francis, USA TODAY NETWORK
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
veryGood! (3235)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- The Lion, the chainsaw and the populist: The rallies of Argentina’s Javier Milei
- German government grants Siemens Energy a loan guarantee to help secure the company
- Ukraine says it now has a foothold on the eastern bank of Dnieper River near Kherson
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- Former CEO at center of fake Basquiats scandal countersues museum, claiming he is being scapegoated
- Biden aims for improved military relations with China when he meets with Xi
- Southwest Airlines raises prices on alcohol ahead of the holidays
- Small twin
- Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom joins the race for the state’s only US House seat
Ranking
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- Michigan judge says Trump can stay on primary ballot, rejecting challenge under insurrection clause
- The Georgia district attorney who charged Trump expects his trial to be underway over Election Day
- 11 ex-police officers sentenced in 2021 killings of 17 migrants and 2 others in northern Mexico
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- A day after Britain’s prime minister fired her, Suella Braverman accuses him of being a weak leader
- 2 women accused of helping Georgia inmate who escaped jail last month
- North Carolina legislator Marcus won’t run for Senate in 2024 but is considering statewide office
Recommendation
The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
California program to lease land under freeways faces scrutiny after major Los Angeles fire
10 years ago, Batkid was battling bad guys and cancer — now he's 15 and healthy
A suspect in the 1994 Rwanda genocide goes on trial in Paris after a decadeslong investigation
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
Jason Mraz calls coming out a 'divorce' from his former self: 'You carry a lot of shame'
Dubai International Airport, world’s busiest, on track to beat 2019 pre-pandemic passenger figures
8 teenagers arrested on murder charges after Las Vegas boy, 17, beaten by mob