A feminine pygmy hippo named “Moo Deng”, which implies “bouncy pork” lies on the floor at Khao Kheow Open Zoo. (Photo by Chaiwat Subprasom/SOPA Images/LightRocket through Getty Images)
SOPA Images/LightRocket through Getty Images
An sudden superstar has emerged from TikTook’s algorithmic slot-machine—Moo Deng, a 2-month-old pygmy hippo, has racked up hundreds of thousands of views on TikTook, and her cute photos have impressed a devoted on-line fandom.
Moo Deng, whose identify interprets to “bouncy pork,” dwells in Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand, and has develop into one thing of an web phenomenon.
Images of Moo Deng being sprayed with water and seemingly squealing whereas being lifted up by a zookeeper rapidly went viral, attracting likes, shares and feedback from enamored social media customers.
The zoo’s social media accounts have been boosted by the hippo’s rise to fame, with 50,000 followers on X (Twitter) and over 400,000 on Facebook.
While Moo Deng is hardly the first cute animal to take pleasure in the adoration of the web, the pygmy hippo has develop into startlingly well-known, having impressed an enormous quantity of fan art, memes and merchandise—the zoo claims that weekend customer numbers have doubled since Moo Deng went viral.
The cosmetics chain Sephora even jumped on the Moo Deng practice, posting an advert advising prospects to “wear your blush like a baby hippo.”
How Did Moo Deng The Pygmy Hippo Go Viral?
Moo Deng owes her fame to a TikTok account that at the moment boasts greater than 2.5 million followers which repeatedly posts movies of the hippos and different animals of Khao Kheow Open Zoo.
Moo Deng is alleged to be an unusually playful hippo, however the secret of her mass attraction is straightforward—she’s actually cute, extra like a Pokemon than an actual creature.
Moo Deng’s small, shiny physique, adorned with rolls of child fats, and large, expressive face make her an ideal topic for artists trying to attract an lovely animal.
There could also be one other issue at play behind Moo Deng’s rise to fame, as her content material is alleged to be one thing of a “timeline cleanser,” wiping away a lot of the toxicity from social media timelines.
Engagement with Moo Deng usually leads to an algorithmic reset, peeling away a few of the power backlashes, outrages and controversies that outline the present on-line panorama.
There's a whole lot of darkness in the world proper now, and retreating into cutesy animal photos provides a soothing balm, a much-needed hit of dopamine.
However, web fame additionally has its downsides; singer Chappell Roan has spoken out towards the entitlement of obsessive followers who're consistently crossing boundaries and invading her private life, inspiring other celebrities to do the identical.
Unfortunately, Moo Deng has additionally skilled the perils of obsessive fandom, with some guests reportedly changing into rowdy, even throwing meals at the child hippo to get her consideration; one video exhibits a customer pouring water over a sleeping Moo Deng, sparking widespread backlash on social media.
Narongwit Chodchoi, the director of Khao Kheow Open Zoo, has urged guests to behave themselves, and guaranteed involved followers that the zoo has put in surveillance cameras round Moo Deng’s enclosure.
Pygmy hippos are an endangered species (fewer than 3,000 are left in the wild) and conservationists hope that Moo Deng’s viral second will encourage the public to be taught extra about pygmy hippos.
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