It’s the face that launched a thousand memes. Moo Deng (Thai for “bouncy pork”) is a two-month old pygmy hippo whose dewy skin, rosy cheeks and chaotic temperament has turned into a dopamine gold mine for social media, with millions turning their attention towards her home of Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand’s Chonburi province.
Social media’s predilection for baby animals gone wild has driven an incredible amount of business towards the 2000-acre zoo, which has been around since 1978. And in such a short time too.
In zeitgeisty terms, Moo Deng is brat and her love of playfully biting zookeepers, sliding around her enclosure and having a love-hate relationship with water (don’t try give her a bath; do lightly sprinkle her with a hose) has been a nice little distraction from… everything.
Demand has soared so high that the zoo has even launched a 24-7 live stream so people around the world can coo over Moo Deng’s cuteness any time of the day.
The Bangkok Post reports that “Moo Deng fever” has gotten so out of control that other zoos in Thailand with pygmy hippos are also seeing a substantial spike in interest. The Ubon Ratchathani Zoo has reported a 20% increase in visitor numbers after seven-month-old Moo Khaki (meaning “pork knuckles) was shared on social media, and there are several others also seeing a strong surge in interest.
And that’s great, for locals and visitors in Thailand who can go visit these adorable hippo calfs.
But how about something closer to home?
As it turns out, Sydney has its own perpetually slimy hippo baby, Lololi (West African for “there is always love”) who has born on January 16, 2024 as part of the zoo’s successful breeding program.
The West African hippo—the offspring of mother Kambiri and father Fergus—has quickly turned into the star attraction at Taronga Zoo given she’s the only hippo calf in the country.
From all reports, aside from running around with leaves on her head, Lololi is diametrically opposed to Moo Deng’s chaotic energy. Which then plays into the two biggest memes of the year: if Moo Deng is brat, then Lololi is demure—calm, cutsey and elegant. You won’t find her trying to take a bite of her zookeepers, bouncing around all day and running circles around her mother.
Instead, Lololi is a bastion of calm, spending her days learning how to propel herself through the water rather than acting out for the world to see. She’s growing at quite a rapid pace as well, leaping from 4kg at birth to a whopping 60kg months later.
The springy eight-month-old has now moved into a new pool on Taronga’s Rainforest Trail with the zoo recommending any visitors head in to see the baby earlier in the day when she’s move active. Given the way the internet works, it’s likely the zoo will introduce timed visits to stem the crowds so you might want to get in early before more people discover Lololi’s irrepressible cuteness.
Taronga Zoo
Address: Bradleys Head Rd, Mosman NSW 2088
Contact: (02) 9969 2777
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday (9:30am – 5pm)
