Crowds Flock To Thailand Zoo For Baby Hippo Moo Deng's First Birthday

CHONBURI, Thailand (AP) — Thousands of excited fans flocked to a Thai zoo connected Thursday to observe nan first day of Moo Deng, nan adorable babe pygmy hippo that has go a social media sensation.

The Khao Kheow Open Zoo was overrun pinch Moo Deng’s fans connected nan first of 4 days of activities marking nan hippo’s birthday. Children nether 12 years aged tin participate nan zoo, which is astir a 2 hr thrust from nan superior Bangkok, for free passim nan extravaganza.

Excited fans

Many of Moo Deng’s fans flew miles to spot her.

Among them was Molly Swindall, who traveled from New York for nan celebrations. She was seen handing a tray of nutrient to a zoo keeper for Moo Deng’s breakfast, which nan babe hippo and her mother Jona quickly devoured.

“Everything I was seeing started to beryllium Moo Deng and I conscionable loved her truthful overmuch and decided, you cognize what, I person 3 aliases 4 days disconnected of work,” said Swindall, “I tin make it activity to alert to Thailand. I will only beryllium location for astir 30 hours, but that’s capable to spell spot Moo Deng. And that’s precisely what I did.”

By Thursday afternoon, nan number of visitors reached 12,000, zoo head Narongwit Chodchoy said. Despite nan sound of visitors calling retired for her attention, Moo Deng appeared serene arsenic she took a dip successful a pond successful her enclosure.

Fans took pictures of nan babe hippo connected their cameras aliases compartment phones and sang “Happy birthday” arsenic her day cake, made of a assortment of fruits and vegetables, was placed adjacent nan pond.

“Moo Deng is my happy pill, and she’s my power pill, my curing pill. She’s my vitamin!” said Thea Chavez, who flew successful from Houston, Texas.

Another instrumentality from neighboring Malaysia, Jennifer Tang, leaned complete nan enclosure to return pictures.

“She makes maine happy. Whenever I’m stressed astatine activity I propulsion up photos of Moo Deng,” Tang said. “So my full agency knows that I’m present .... They fto maine return a week off.”

The zoo held online auctions to observe Moo Deng’s birthday, pinch photos, footprints and a nutrient instrumentality connected connection to raise costs for each nan animals nether their care.

They besides held an auction for nan grant of sponsoring her day cake, which went for 100,000 baht ($3,065.)

Moo Deng’s stardom

Moo Deng soared to stardom soon aft she was born, mostly acknowledgment to her keeper Atthapon Nundee who shared adorable pictures and videos of nan babe hippo connected societal media. Atthapon keeps Moo Deng’s fans updated pinch moments of her squirming arsenic he tries to lavation her, biting him arsenic he tries to play, aliases calmly closing her eyes arsenic he rubs her belly.

Moo Deng, which virtually intends “bouncy pork” successful Thai, is simply a type of meatball. The sanction was chosen by fans via a canvass connected societal media. It matches nan names of her different siblings: Moo Toon (stewed pork) and Moo Waan (sweet pork). There is besides a communal hippo astatine nan zoo named Kha Moo (stewed pork leg).

The Khao Kheow Open Zoo saw spikes of visitors since soon aft Moo Deng was born. But Narongwit said nan number of visitors to nan zoo has somewhat dropped since nan tallness of Moo Deng’s fame. He said nan zoo has had astir 2,000 visitors during a weekday and astir 5,000 during weekends complete nan past fewer months, astir half nan numbers it saw astatine its peak.

“Moo Deng is simply a typical of each chaotic animals, and she helps everyone understand nan roles of zoos,” Narongwit told The Associated Press. “She speaks for each astir extinct animals, and turns people’s attraction to their conservation.”

The zoo sits connected 800 hectares (almost 2,000 acres) of onshore and is location to much than 2,000 animals.

It runs breeder programs for galore endangered type including nan pygmy hippopotamus. The type is autochthonal to West Africa, wherever it is threatened by poaching and nonaccomplishment of habitat. There are only 2,000 to 3,000 near successful nan wild.