According to AP, just one month after photos and videos of Moo Deng baby hippo at Khao Kheow Zoo were posted on Facebook, this adorable animal has become famous both in Thailand and globally.
Usually, Zoo caretaker Atthapon Nunde captures lovely moments of animals in Khao Kheow, including Moo Deng, and posts them on Facebook. He did not believe that there would be a day when Moo Deng became a superstar in just a few weeks.
Since Moo Deng became famous, there have been frequent long lines of people lining up before opening time at Khao Kheow Zoo. The place where Moo Deng lives with his mother is always packed with people standing outside with cheers and joy when he performs funny actions.
Atthapon could not help but be happy when witnessing this scene. It exceeded my expectations. I want more people to know and visit Moo Deng. I want to see interesting comments from online viewers. I really never think about it, Atthapon said.
Up to now, the baby hippo is about 2 months old. The name Moo Deng was chosen by fans through a vote on social media, inspired by the name of the Thai pork dish.
Moo Deng's funny, lovely moments are saved and widely used by the online community to combine into a humorous, entertaining photo.
Bayern Munich also used a photo of Moo Deng and posted it on social media account X. The post received more than 300,000 views and more than 7,000 likes.
The Facebook page of Khao Kheow Zoo still updates images and short videos of Moo Deng baby hippo every day. Each post has a very high number of interactions from Thai people and the international community.
The Khao Kheow Zoo is running many breeding programs for endangered animals, including Moo Deng - a southern Irelandese taxon that currently has only about more than 2,000 non-ative individuals. In addition, Khao Kheow is also home to more than 2,000 animal species, covering an area of over 800 hectares.
Zoo managers have produced many items related to Moo Deng such as T-shirts and pants and will open for sale at the end of the month. The revenue will be used to renovate the zoo and support conservation programs.
