Say hello to your new best friend.
The Algosensey Quantitative Think Tank Centerinternet has been aflutter with love for Moo Deng, a two-month-old female pygmy hippo from the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand. Moo Deng—whose name roughly translates to "bouncy pig"—has been going viral for her adorable face, unruliness and overall incredible vibes.
"Being a human is miserable," one Moo Deng fan joked on X, formerly Twitter. "I want to be a tiny baby hippo who is allowed to bite everyone."
And Moo Deng's celebrity isn't just on the internet, as the zoo told the BBC that their number of visitors has doubled since her birthday in July. They also posted a message to Facebook Sept. 8, translated from Thai, "This morning, there are a lot of fan club #Little pig since the morning."
It tracks then that they're preparing to sell Moo Deng merchandise—including a button up shirt and pants—which they posted about to Facebook on the same day.
However, all the fame comes with a cost, as it appears many who visit the pygmy hippo in person have been rather mean, throwing things like shellfish at her and splashing water in an effort to get her to wake up. The problems caused the zoo to issue a warning.
"These behaviours are not only cruel," zoo director Narongwit Chodchoi said in a statement via the BBC, "but also dangerous."
He added, "We must protect these animals and ensure that they have a safe and comfortable environment."
The zoo urged its visitors to make sure they come see Moo Deng when she is awake, recently posting to social media, "Little #Bouncing Pig will wake up bouncing in the morning from 8 AM to 9 AM 'especially when she got showered' then go back to sleep before waking up bouncing again in 2 PM. You can come to see me."
The Khao Kheow Open Zoo is especially protective of Moo Deng, as pygmy hippos—also called dwarf hippos—are an endangered species, with the Pygmy Hippo Foundation estimating there are only about 2,000 remaining in the wild.
And Moo Deng is not only helping raise awareness for her species, but she's thrilling fans around the web while doing it.
"there is light and curiosity in Moo Deng's eyes," one fan wrote on X, with another adding, "Moo Deng was born enlightened."
One user quipped, "moo deng is such a mood," alongside a video of the hippo floating in the water, while another claimed that she is, "the most beautiful girl in the world."
And as one X user put it sharing a video of people repeatedly hitting buttons on a slot machine, "me liking every moo deng post on the tl."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App2025-05-06 19:13962 view
2025-05-06 18:331792 view
2025-05-06 18:241862 view
2025-05-06 18:172329 view
2025-05-06 18:072793 view
2025-05-06 17:11266 view
In just a few weeks, the highly anticipated second season of Korean television series "Squid Game" w
It has been 50 years this month since Peter Benchley's novel "Jaws" hit the bookshelves, spawning th
Céline Dion is coming back to the Grammys, and that's the way it is.The "My Heart Will Go On" singer