A tourist has sparked outrage by firing a slingshot at animals in a zoo close to where celebrity baby hippo Moo Deng is kept.
The Chinese holidaymaker was seen brandishing the weapon while launching items towards an enclosure at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand, on October 20.
Several tourists from the same group were seen standing alongside her and laughing – seemingly unaware of the dangers posed by the behaviour.
Patcharida Chueakhamhod, a resident who was visiting the zoo that day to see Moo Deng, recorded the tourist as she used the slingshot.
She said: ‘The tourist was shooting at the animals in the zoo. At first, I did not believe what they were doing. I looked closely and I saw that she was using a slingshot, so I recorded her for evidence.
‘I did not want to confront them because I was alone and there was a big group of them. I don’t speak Chinese, so I think it would have been dangerous.’
A zookeeper who looks after Moo Deng said the group were firing lumps of soil and stones that they had scooped up from the ground.
He said: ‘I was shocked by what these tourists were doing. I only saw the video of the incident after it had happened. So we could not catch them when it was happening.
‘We will write a letter to the tour company that brought these people to the zoo. They must warn future guests about their behaviour. I will also file a report with the authorities.’
Moo Deng is a two-month-old pygmy hippopotamus living at Khao Kheow Open Zoo. She was born on July 20, 2024, to her parents Tony and Jonah and was named Moo Deng, which means bouncy pig, through a public poll, with more than 20,000 people voting.
She drew crowds to the zoo after gaining popularity in September 2024 as a popular internet meme, following trending images of her emerging online.
Her fame surged when the zoo posted pictures of her on its Facebook page, showcasing her in funny gestures.
Due to her popularity, the number of daily visitors to the zoo doubled in early September.
The Zoological Park Organization of Thailand reported that the number of tourists visiting reached 159,743, a significant increase from August’s total of 98,046.
The pygmy hippopotamus is listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List and is classified under Appendix II of CITES.
Pygmy hippos are small hippopotamids native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, primarily in Liberia, with small populations in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ivory Coast.
The Khao Kheow zoo has made the decision to ban slingshots following the incident.
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