Thailand | Moo Deng, the baby pygmy hippopotamus, becomes star of a zoo

(Bangkok) An endangered baby pygmy hippopotamus that has become a social media sensation in Thailand has become a source of revenue for its home zoo, which has quadrupled its ticket sales, the zoo said Thursday.

Moo Deng, whose name in Thai means “bouncing pig,” has drawn tens of thousands of visitors to the Khao Kheow Zoo this month.

Two-month-old Moo Deng has gone viral on TikTok and Instagram for his antics, inspiring merchandise and memes.

Ticket sales between early September and Wednesday reached nearly 19.2 million baht ($590,000), more than four times the same period last year, a zoo spokesman told AFP.

Fans from around the world queued for hours outside his enclosure, forcing keepers to limit Moo Deng’s visiting time to five minutes per visitor.

The zoo has set up a 24-hour live feed from the hippo enclosure to reduce wait times and accommodate fans who cannot make it to the site.

Also hoping that Moo Deng’s fever will boost merchandise sales, the zoo last week launched a line of pygmy hippo-themed T-shirts.

Sold for 300 baht, or nine dollars each, they are currently only available on site.

“We have hired an outside company to help us make Moo Deng products, such as T-shirts and pants,” the zoo spokesman said, adding that all profits generated would go toward improving facilities for all the zoo’s animals, not just its star.

Less enthusiastic, the animal rights group PETA regretted that the animal was in captivity. “There is nothing cute about a baby being born in captivity,” the organization said on its website.

Pygmy hippos are endangered and native to West Africa. There are only an estimated 2,000 to 2,500 left in the world, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.