Latest news with #PygmyHippo
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Thousands celebrate baby hippo Moo Deng's first birthday at a Thailand zoo
CHONBURI, Thailand (AP) — Thousands of excited fans flocked to a Thai zoo on Thursday to celebrate the first birthday of Moo Deng, the adorable baby pygmy hippo that has become a social media sensation. The Khao Kheow Open Zoo was overrun with Moo Deng fans on the first of four days of activities marking the hippo's birthday. Children under 12 years old can enter the zoo, 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. '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 photographed the baby hippo with 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, 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.' 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.) A star baby hippo 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 on fun hippo moments — how she squirms as he tries to wash her, bites him as he tries to play, or calmly closes her eyes as he rubs her belly. The name Moo Deng, which literally means 'bouncy pork' in Thai, 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 another hippo at the zoo named Kha Moo (stewed pork leg). The zoo — which sits on 800 hectares (almost 2,000 acres) of land and is home to more than 2,000 animals — saw spikes of visitors since shortly after Moo Deng was born. But Narongwit said the number of visitors 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 also 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.
Forbes
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Viral Sensation Moo Deng's Turns One: Fans Gather To Celebrate Birthday (Photos)
Thousands of visitors gathered at a zoo in Thailand on Thursday to celebrate baby pygmy hippo Moo Deng's first birthday, months after social media videos of her antics made her a viral internet sensation. Moo Deng's fans gathered to celebrate the viral sensation's first birthday. Getty Images Khao Kheow Open Zoo, which is located around 60 miles south of Bangkok, is hosting a four-day festival to celebrate its star resident's first birthday, AFP reported. The first day of the celebration coincided with Asalha Puja, a public holiday in Thailand, and many fans gathered outside her enclosure to watch her eat a $3,000 (THB 100,000) tropical fruit platter arranged to resemble a birthday cake. The zoo also auctioned off several of Moo Deng's items, including a bathtub she used for $2,150 (THB 70,000) and a cast of her footprints for around $21,500 (THB 700,000), Reuters reported. Proceeds from the auction will be donated to a wildlife conservation fund, the report added. Moo Deng, whose name translates to 'Bouncy Pork' or 'Bouncy Pig' in Thai, was born at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo on July 10 last year. She became an immediate social media sensation after the zoo shared photos of her on Facebook. The baby pygmy hippo's name was chosen through a public vote, with over 20,000 people picking 'Moo Deng.' Moo Deng's popularity caused the zoo's traffic to double in September. However, people raised concerns about her well-being after videos emerged on social media showing visitors splashing water and throwing objects at her. The zoo eventually limited viewing times and installed security cameras to dissuade visitors from harassing their star attraction. The zoo has since trademarked Moo Deng's name to prevent unauthorized commercialization of her name and image. Tangent The pygmy hippo is native to Western Africa and is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List. According to the agency's estimates, only between 2,000 and 2,500 adult pygmy hippos remain in the wild, and their population is in decline. Moo Deng eats a fruit topped cake with her mother Jonah. Getty Images Thousands of vistors gathered at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo to celebrate Moo Deng's first birthday. AFP via Getty Images The zoo is holding a four day festival to celebrate viral baby pygmy hippo turning one. Getty Images The Khao Kheow Open Zoo saw a major boost in attendance last year after Moo Deng became a social ... More media star. Getty Images A $3,000 tropical fruit arrangement fashioned to look like a cake was presented to Moo Deng and her ... More mother. AFP via Getty Images Children pose for pictures with a giant Moo Deng during a celebration for her first birthday. Getty Images Visitors buy Moo Deng souvenirs at the zoo. Getty Images Thailand's adorable pygmy hippo Moo Deng has the kind of face that launches a thousand memes (Associated Press) A baby hippo is going viral - and paying the price (BBC)
Washington Post
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Thousands celebrate baby hippo Moo Deng's first birthday at Thailand zoo
CHONBURI, Thailand — Thousands of excited fans flocked to a Thai zoo on Thursday to celebrate the first birthday of Moo Deng , the adorable baby pygmy hippo that has become a social media sensation . 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.
The Independent
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Thousands celebrate baby hippo Moo Deng's first birthday at Thailand zoo
Thousands of excited fans flocked to a Thai zoo on Thursday to celebrate the first birthday of Moo Deng, the adorable baby pygmy hippo that has become a social media sensation. 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.
The Irish Sun
14-06-2025
- The Irish Sun
I took my kids to the beautiful UK city with huge Lego ships and illusion museums
IF you're looking for the best views in Edinburgh, you might climb Arthur's Seat hill or make the ascent up the Royal Mile. But with sons Ralph, eight, and five-year-old Max in tow, my husband and I marched up Corstorphine instead, a lesser-known member of the city's Seven Hills — but significantly more child-friendly. 5 Alex Lloyd with Ralph and Max at the castle Credit: Alex Lloyd 5 Playing with a wonder ball at Camera Obscura Museum in Edinburgh Credit: Alex Lloyd 5 An optical illusion at the museum Credit: Alamy It's the home of Edinburgh Zoo and reaching the top rewards you with giraffes munching on a leafy lunch — a strong motivating factor to get my children racing up the steep path. While a chilly breeze meant the lions and tigers kept a low profile, the newly arrived capybaras were keen to say hello. We were also charmed by Haggis, a rare pygmy hippo born last October and fast becoming the zoo's star attraction. But my boys' favourite was red panda Bruce, closely followed by the playful penguins. Read More on Travel Edinburgh was the first zoo in the world to house these birds in 1914. After all our walking, it was good that our base for the weekend, the Novotel Edinburgh Centre on Lauriston Place, was an easy bus ride away. And it ticked the boxes of each family member — a comfy double bed and spacious sofabed for the kids (me), cool bar with live music (my husband), basement swimming pool with jacuzzi (Ralph) and a waffle machine at the breakfast buffet (Max). The location was ideal, too, with the street quiet but within strolling distance of Grassmarket, Greyfriars Bobby and the National Museum of Scotland. Most read in City breaks Our taxi driver also told us that George Heriot's School next door had inspired JK Rowling's Hogwarts, to the kids' delight. The hotel was just minutes from our next destination — Camera Obscura, the city's oldest tourist attraction, in a lookout tower on Castle Rock (home to Martin Lewis gives travel advice about checking your passport Earthquake simulation Its five floors of interactive illusions — from the mind-bending Maze of Mirrors to the dizzying Vortex Tunnel — were as irresistible to my 21st-century kids as they would have been to our Victorian ancestors when it opened. From here, we took a leisurely stroll down the Royal Mile. The boys loved the atmosphere and were so full of energy that it took a lot of coaxing to stop them leaping into the Full soaking averted, we headed to Dynamic Earth — which takes you back in time to the origins of the universe. Aptly located at the foot of Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano, it's an immersive experience with earthquake simulation, a 4D plane ride around the planet and a mini- iceberg that you can touch. After a good night's sleep back at the hotel — followed by bao buns at its Tap Kitchen — we headed down the Royal Mile once more, this time by double-decker bus to the Port of Leith. 5 A new baby Pygmy Hippo called Haggis Credit: Andrew Barr 5 A bagpiper in Edinburgh Credit: Alamy Here, we boarded the Royal Yacht Britannia, which recently opened a new exhibition that includes an 11ft Lego replica of the vessel. I feared my lads would be as bored as So their good behaviour was rewarded with tea and cake in the Royal Deck Tearoom. The scones were so big, even Prince Louis would have raised a smile. GO: EDINBURGH GETTING THERE: Edinburgh Waverley Station is served by the LNER, Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, ScotRail and Transpennine networks. STAYING THERE: Novotel Edinburgh Central has queen rooms with sofabed from £140 per night. For details and booking, visit MORE INFO: See
