Moo Deng the pygmy hippo, Thailand’s viral internet star, celebrates first birthday
The pygmy hippo’s blubbery face has launched a thousand memes and a plethora of merchandise
Crowds have been invited to a four-day festival at Khao Kheow Open Zoo where Moo Deng – meaning “Bouncy Pork” in Thai – frolicked to stardom and amassed five million social media fans.
The first day of the extravaganza falls on a Thai public holiday and the agenda includes a lecture on “Moo Deng’s cheekiness” while a skincare beautician has paid US$3,000 to sponsor her fruit-festooned cake.
Her handlers are also scheduled to auction off her belongings - but it is unclear what possessions Moo Deng has accumulated in her short life at the Chonburi province zoo a two-hour drive from Bangkok.
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Moo Deng, Thailand’s star pygmy hippo, celebrates first birthday
There were hopes her stardom would spotlight the plight of the endangered pygmy hippo, native to West Africa, with only around 2,500 left alive according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
But social media and search engine metrics suggest Moo Deng’s popularity peaked around late September last year before dramatically declining.