7 months ago
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Style|A Pygmy Hippo Is Stealing Hearts (and Biting Zookeepers)
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/24/style/moo-deng-baby-pygmy-hippo-thailand.html
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Moo Deng, whose name translates to “bouncy pork,” has united the internet while following a familiar path to stardom.
Sept. 24, 2024, 10:00 a.m. ET
Defiant, sassy, slippery, chubby, loves to scream. We can all relate.
If you have yet to come across the internet’s favorite pygmy hippopotamus, then meet Moo Deng. She’s a bit of a diva.
“The hottest, hottest new It girl on the planet,” Hoda Kotb, a co-anchor on the “Today” show, said during a recent episode. “She’s redefining beauty standards: She’s got chubby pink cheeks, a distinct potato shape.”
Since Moo Deng’s public introduction by the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chon Buri, Thailand, south of Bangkok, on July 25, when she was 2 weeks old, her star has only risen.
Her name, which translates to “bouncy pork,” was chosen by a poll held on the zoo’s Facebook page; around 20,000 people voted. There were three options: Moo Deng, Moo Sap (minced pork) and Moo Daeng (red pork). Moo Deng won easily.
Yammi Saracino, a ceramacist and content creator born in Bangkok, has taken credit for the hippo’s initial international fame. When he saw the poll, he felt compelled to translate it into English so that a broader audience would find her.
“The winner clearly was Moo Deng,” he said. “I think that partially had something to do with me, because I was like, ‘I’m voting for this name, so help me vote for this name.’”
