The Internet’s new princess is a moist, screaming baby pygmy hippo that’s both adorable and a menace. Meet Moo Deng.
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Internet trends, memes, and platforms may change—but one thing’s for sure: we love ourselves an adorable animal. You think only people can earn the title of Internet icon? Well, let the newest viral sensation be the latest legend that proves you wrong.
Introducing Moo Deng, a perpetually moist, screaming, yet lovable menace of a baby pygmy hippo living at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Si Racha, Thailand. Moo Deng, whose name means “bouncy pork” (because of course it does) and shares it with a Thai dish (Mu daeng), has captured the hearts of people all over the world.
Moo Deng the most beautiful girl in the world pic.twitter.com/gTf9HTR0dk
— yammi (@sighyam) September 13, 2024
Moo Deng was born in July 2024 to mother Jonah and made her social media debut this September. Very quickly, the hippo’s well-documented behavior and antics has earned her titles like “icon,” “queen,” and “the most beautiful girl in the world.” As she should! Though often ornery and always hilarious, the playful baby hippo has amassed herself a following in the form of hundreds of thousands of strangers all across the globe who would go to war for the big, slippery baby. As we should.
THIS DIVA
@smile1.31 A cute little hippo with boundless energy.#foryou #animals #hippo #moodeng #cute ♬ original sound – Smile1.31
She’s a meme, she’s an icon, she’s a moment, she’s even got fanart! She was on TIME, she was on Vogue, she is everywhere. In just two weeks, Moo Deng has become the talk of the town. The hippo, who’s just learning about this whole new world to her, is popular for bouncing, screaming, splashing around, biting her caretaker’s knees, imitating her mother, and generally being a force of chaos.
Meet viral baby hippo Moo Denghttps://t.co/XDxXYiv7vf pic.twitter.com/JzVYxIpr3e
— TIME (@TIME) September 13, 2024
Zookeepers at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo often post about the animals under their care, but Moo Deng stood out—perhaps because she was destined to be the viral queen we all needed.
moo deng is a lifestyle icon and i need all of yall to get onboard:
— House ⚔️ gf haver (@mrmatthouse) September 11, 2024
– inexplicably moist at all times
– slightly blurry in most photos
– probably screaming or sleeping
– round pic.twitter.com/VtgOPf1PAS
She screams when she’s being picked up, she screams when she’s joyfully playing with water, she screams when she’s being woken up, she screams when she’s with the zookeepers. TBH, she’s just like us. She represents our innermost desires—to just sleep, scream, eat, and vibe. No wonder she’s a crowd favorite.
INTERNET’S PRINCESS
I would kill and die to protect Moo Deng, KILL AND DIE. pic.twitter.com/eANH6EW9QD
— aaron (@aaronoleary) September 13, 2024
Moo Deng’s popularity has not just brought attention and support to the zoo—it’s also become a way for people to learn about pygmy hippos, which are an endangered species. Numbers of pygmy hippos have fallen victim to human activities like hunting, logging, mining, and land conversion. Moo Deng and her family are safe and protected at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, with the zoo assuring that their animals are well taken care of.
Regardless, it’s important to note that not all zoos operate the same, and we should still keep a critical eye out on any possible mistreatment and ensure we advocate for the welfare and humane treatment of animals wherever they are.
After seeing this assault I’m convinced that Moo Deng deserves her own secret service pic.twitter.com/ObaO12gBF6
— greg (@greg16676935420) September 18, 2024
In any case, Moo Deng has faced some challenges in her still-short life, like a monkey that whacked her for no reason, and rude visitors that throw things at the hippo. Since then, more security has been enforced and more limitations have been set so that visitors don’t disturb Moo Deng and the hippos.
we have to give moo deng a gun https://t.co/rkkG5ZP49C
— van helsing off a perc 🇵🇸 (@damnit_d4ve) September 18, 2024
But trust, there’s a whole global community out here that would defend this precious icon wholeheartedly. From celebrities to artists, brand pages to sports teams, everybody has fallen in love with Moo Deng, and all they want is more Moo Deng, all day, every day. They cheer her on, laugh at her antics, and hit like on every post about her.
There’s even a CCTV livestream where you can watch Moo Deng go about her very important daily activities, like sleeping.
unbothered. moisturized. happy. in my lane. focused. flourishing#moodeng pic.twitter.com/W6IegMFO5A
— kristina🦒 (@kristinakovv) September 16, 2024
So basically, we can watch Moo Deng take over the world wherever we are in the world. She can do no wrong, and she’s got throngs of people rooting for her to live her best life and cheering her on as she grows up and asserts her dominance. All hail our new princess.
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