A three-month-old pygmy hippo in Thailand called Moo Deng has gained fans across the world, inspired commercial campaigns, and appeared on the famous Saturday Night Live comedy show in the US.
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On September 28, American comedian Bowen Yang played Moo Deng during the Weekend Update segment of the show, wearing a hippo costume and joking about living a life “running around and trying to bite the water from a hose”.
The baby hippo, who got her name from a Thai dish which means bouncy pork, was born on July 10 to parents, Tony and Jonah.
Moo Deng became an online sensation after her keepers posted her naughty and adorable reactions to their teasing online.
The animal boosted visitor numbers at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi in eastern Thailand by 50 per cent between September 1 and 19.
Queues waiting to see her were so long every day, that the zoo had to limit interaction time with her to five minutes.
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Molly Swindall from the US flew for 18.5 hours to Thailand just to see Moo Deng. She said she was so dedicated to the hippo that customs officers in Thailand could not believe it.
Videos of her visit posted under the TikTok account @1989vinyl attracted millions of likes, with many sharing her enthusiasm.