If back in August, “future you” from September visited and told you who would be Thailand’s next A-list celebrity, you would think you had gone mad.
Now, in the present, you realise with relief that, no, you have not gone mad. But the world sure has – over a pudgy little pygmy hippo living at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in the Chonburi province.
Moo Deng, turning three months old this Oct 10, has become a world-famous “Thai star” after her caretaker, 31-year-old Atthapon Nundee, started sharing clips of her on social media, just being an adorable carefree baby. These videos quickly went viral last month, with many “fans” showing their love for Moo Deng daily via memes, artworks, latte art and even cakes shaped like the hippo.
Human’s fascination with adorable animals is nothing new, though, especially with the ones still in their infantile stage. That’s because looking at cute things increases our dopamine level, making us happy.
If you’ve fallen into the Moo Deng rabbit hole too and would love to discover other adorable animals, let us introduce you to these dear little ones who call Australia their home.
Pesto The Penguin
September was a good month for fans of cute baby animals, as aside from Moo Deng, there was another viral sensation that completely melted everyone’s hearts.
You may have heard of Pesto or seen this juvenile king penguin waddling around on your social media feed. The “chonky chick” gained Internet fame late last month for his eye-catching appearance.
Eye-catching in the sense that not only is he very fluffy and rotund, he also outweighs and towers over both his foster parents, Tango and Hudson. Quite a rare spectacle, especially for a baby penguin who is only 10 months old.
Carrying 22kg on his 90cm-tall frame, Pesto is already the heaviest penguin chick that Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium has ever had. He takes after his biological father, Blake, who himself is the largest and oldest penguin at the same aquarium.
Still covered in the brown feathers that king penguins are born with, Pesto will have the characteristic black-and-white appearance that adult king penguins have once he starts fledging (shedding his downy feathers to grow “waterproof” ones).
And he may also no longer be as adorably chubby as he is now. So, you’ll want to catch him before adolescence hits.
Paris The Turtle
So impactful is his legacy that Steve Irwin’s name continues to be synonymous with Australian wildlife even almost 20 years after his untimely passing.
Elseya Irwini or Irwin’s turtle is a rare turtle breed named after the late Crocodile Hunter star and wildlife conservationist, who discovered it in Queensland’s Burdekin River in 1990.
A year ago, Irwin’s son, Robert, shared on social media the first Irwin’s turtle hatched outside of the wild. Specifically, the turtle – named Paris – was hatched at Australia Zoo, which was opened by Bob and Lyn Irwin in 1970. Today, this popular attraction is run by Robert along with his mother, Terri, and sister, Bindi.
It’s hard not to melt at the sight of teeny tiny Paris, but social media coverage on the little turtle has been sparse. So, if you want to see more of her, you’ll have to fly to Australia. Who knows, you might bump into the Irwin family while at the zoo.
You can also support the conservation of Irwin’s turtle by “adopting” Paris, which you can do via Australia Zoo’s official website.
George The Wombat
While not a joey anymore, George is one fluffy marsupial that keeps stealing hearts with his adorableness.
The wombat had a sad start in life, when he was left orphaned as a baby after his mother was hit by a car. Following his rescue, he quickly found online fame thanks to his overwhelming cuteness.
His viral fame translated well to real life, short as his has been so far.
He not only was named “Australia’s most adorable animal” at just one year old in 2017, he’s also snuggled comfortably in singer Katy Perry’s arms and is the star of an illustrated children’s book about potty training.
Now, that’s one accomplished eight-year-old wombat!
Currently residing at East Coast Natureworld Tasmania, his profile on the wildlife sanctuary’s website also lists him as “an ambassador to educate visitors about ‘roadkill’”.
If you want to do more than just watch George go about his day, you can apply to be his “walker”. Yes, wombat walker is an actual profession.
Natureworld’s Wombat Walker campaign only takes place in winter, however, as that is the time when wombats need some assistance in staying active and happy throughout the season.
Pig The Dugong
It can’t get any cuter than an animal named after another cute animal, as this adorable dugong called Pig would prove.
The “senior” on this list (Pig was born in 1998), this hefty 300kg sea creature is a long-time residence of Sea Life Aquarium Sydney in New South Wales.
He has lived there since he was a calf after being rescued from Forrest Beach in north Queensland, where he was found separated from his mother. Years later, an attempt at releasing him back into the wild ended in failure when he was found washed up again.
Now, Pig lives a happy life as one of the very few dugongs living in human care worldwide. The adorable marine mammal spends his time eating 30kg of lettuce daily (his healthy appetite is what earned him his name) from 7.30am to 7.30pm.
Just drop by Sea Life anywhere between those two timings and you’ll easily catch the gentle giant in action.
By the way, please do not offend this little cutie by misidentifying him as a manatee. They may look similar, as they do belong to the same order (Sirenia), but there is one easy way to tell them apart: Manatees have paddle-shaped tails, while dugongs have fluked tails.