Thailand zoo defends viral baby hippo Moo Deng against Peta’s captivity claims

Moo Deng, a female baby pygmy hippo, became a Thai zoo’s starlet and global online celebrity after a zookeeper posted videos of her on social media. - Photo: EPA-EFE via SCMP

BANGKOK (SCMP): Thailand has dismissed as outdated, animal rights group Peta’s accusations that an internet-famous female baby pygmy hippo “faces a lifetime of confinement” at a local zoo cashing in on the mammal’s stardom.

Visitors from around the globe have flocked to Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province to see the adorable two-month-old hippo Moo Deng (“bouncy pork” in Thai), whose cute videos went viral on TikTok and Instagram.