SINGAPORE: Thai pygmy hippo Moo Deng may soon have to share the limelight with another one of its kind – Haggis, a female calf born at the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland.
Videos of Haggis – resembling her namesake, a savoury Scottish pudding traditionally encased in sheep’s stomach – were posted on social media by the zoo, cooking up a frenzy online over the newborn’s cuteness.
“Moo Deng? Who deng? Introducing... Haggis,” said the zoo in a post on X on Nov 4.
The post drew over 7.4 million views, with netizens fawning over Haggis, who was born on Oct 30 to parents Otto and Gloria.
“Such a chunky baby,” said one commenter. “I’m crying, she is so small,” said another.
While many say they want to travel to the Scottish capital just to see the pygmy hippo, Edinburgh Zoo has said on social media platform X that the public would not be able to see the calf for now.
“Haggis is doing really well so far, and it is amazing to see her personality beginning to shine already,” said the zoo’s hoofstock team leader Jonny Appleyard in a statement on Nov 4.
“The first 30 days are critical for her development, so the pygmy hippo house will be closed for now to allow us to keep a close eye on mum and baby at this sensitive time.”
Haggis has an older sister named Amara, who was born at the zoo in 2021. She was moved to the London Zoo in 2023 as part of a European breeding programme.
A day after its post on X introducing Haggis, the Edinburgh Zoo apologised for comparing the two pygmy hippos to one another.
“We were wrong to pit Haggis and Moo Deng against each other. There is space in this world for two beautiful pygmy hippo divas, and we should celebrate them all,” said the zoo in a screenshot of a playfully typed-out apology on iPhone’s Notes app.
This came after netizens jestfully took issue with the zoo starting a rivalry between Haggis and Moo Deng.
“Don’t pit two queens like that, it’s good news for Moo Deng to have a bigger family than before,” commented one user.
Pygmy hippos are an endangered species and its population is continuing to fall.
There are only about 2,000 to 2,500 of them in the wild, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Pygmy hippos are native to West Africa – namely in the Ivory Coast, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – and face threats like poaching and deforestation.
“While Thailand’s Moo Deng has become a viral global icon, it is important to remember that pygmy hippos are incredibly rare,” said Edinburgh Zoo’s Appleyard.
“It is great to have our own little ambassador right here in Edinburgh to connect with our visitors and help raise awareness of the challenges the species face in the wild.” - The Straits Times/ANN
