At just three months old, pygmy hippo Moo Deng has become a sensation online for her dramatic antics and sleepy demeanor.
Moo-Deng has been dubbed an ‘icon’ and ‘legend’ by Time Magazine, and has already amassed 2.5 million followers on her TikTok account.
She lives in Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand – and her name means ‘bouncy pork’.
But Moo Deng is lucky to live in the open zoo in Thailand, as other pygmy hippos’ natural habitats are quickly disappearing.
Moo Deng is a pygmy hippo, an endangered species with only 2,500 estimated to be left in the wild.
They’re native to West Africa, where they prefer to live deep in forests, where they forage at night and hide in water and dense vegetation, the Conversation reported.
But widespread deforestation has disrupted the cute hippo’s habitat, with West African forests losing over 80% of their original area.
Cocoa production is a major cause of the loss of these forests – but unsustainable logging is also a factor.
Most of the remaining pygmy hippos live in Gola National Forest in Sierra Leone and Sapo National Park in Liberia.
These forests are rich in herbs and fruits, making it a perfect place for hungry pygmy hippos – like Moo Deng’s mum, Jonah, who’s always munching on food – to live.
West African forests are also home to 900 bird species and 400 mammals, which make up more than 25% of all mammals in Africa.
Luckily, Moo Deng and her family are safe in Thailand – but her species remains threatened.
The adorable hippo has siblings also named after pork – Moo Wan, which means Thai sweet pork; Pha Lor, which means pork belly stew; and Moo Tun, which means stewed pork.
But fame is not without its downsides. Some visitors at the zoo began throwing water and seashells at the sleepy pygmy hippo when she was sleeping in order to get photos, meaning Moo Deng now has her own security guard.
Moo Deng’s keeper said in September: ‘I hope that the cuteness of Moo-Deng will raise awareness for people to come and learn about the species.’
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