Moo Deng the baby pygmy hippopotamus has gained a lot of internet fame recently due to her undeniable cuteness. She resides at Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand and thousands of visitors come to see her every day.  But many hippos of her same species in the wild struggle greatly. 

Moo Deng was born on July 10, 2024 and started to go viral in September 2024 due to one of her memes gaining a lot of attention. Ethan K. (Grade 10) says, “Moo Deng is an interesting animal and I love to watch videos of her.” Her name was chosen by a public poll in which the name “Moo Deng” was chosen meaning “bouncy pig” or “bouncy pork”. 

Due to her popularity the zoo started selling various different types of merchandise. The fans all adore her but they don’t know the sad truth about her species. 

Moo Deng’s species is vulnerable and near extinction due to habitat loss in West Africa. The pygmy hippo used to be commonly found in Nigeria but now are more mainly found in Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone. 

Many areas of the Ivory Coast are being destroyed or degraded and Liberian forests are being cleared due to illegal logging. The locals in the area also cut down trees on their own for their own personal firewood. Carah Burton (Grade 9) says, “It’s really sad that the habitat of these animals are being destroyed’’

The destruction of forests has brought the hippos in closer contact with humans leading to a greater risk of being hunted and disrupted by humans. 

Moo Deng has brought a lot of attention to her species and this has hopefully raised awareness for the other animals in West Africa dealing with habitat loss.