Thai Zoo Is Trademarking ‘Moo Deng the Hippo’ to Protect Commercialization Of Its Internet Starlet

Only a month after Thailand’s adorable baby hippo Moo Deng was unveiled on Facebook, her fame became unstoppable both domestically and internationally. Zookeeper Atthapon Nundee never imagined that the Zoo’s newborn pygmy hippo would become an internet megastar within weeks. Cars started lining up outside the zoo well before it opened Thursday. Visitors travelled from near and far for a chance to see the pudgy, expressive 2-month-old.

Already, Moo Deng has been made into memes. Artists are drawing cartoons based on her. Social media platform X even featured her in its official account’s post. With all that fame, zoo director Narongwit Chodchoi said they have begun trademarking “Moo Deng the hippo” to prevent the animal from being commercialized by anyone else. “After we do this, we will have more income to support activities that will make the animals’ lives better,” he said. “The benefits we get will return to the zoo to improve the life of all animals here.”

Narongwit believes a factor of Moo Deng’s fame is her name, which compliments her energetic and chaotic personality captured in Atthapon’s creative captions and video clips.

Moo Deng, which literally means “bouncy pork” in Thai, is a type of meatball. The name was chosen by fans via a poll on social media, and it matches her other siblings: Moo Toon (stewed pork) and Moo Waan (sweet pork).  Appropriately, Moo Deng likes to “deng,” or bounce, and Atthapon got a lot of cute and funny moments or her giddy bouncing on social media. Even when she’s not bouncing, the hippo is endlessly cute—squirming as Atthapon tries to wash her, biting him while he was trying to play with her, calmly closing her eyes as he rubs her pinkish cheeks or her chubby belly.

The zoo saw a spike in visitors since Moo Deng’s fame—so much that the zoo now has to limit public access to the baby’s enclosure. The zoo has been receiving over 4,000 visitors during a weekday, up from around just 800 people, and more than 10,000 during a weekend, up from around 3,000 people.

For fans who can’t make the journey or are discouraged after seeing the crowds for Moo Deng, the Khao Kheow Open Zoo set up cameras and plan to start a 24-hour live feed of the baby hippo in the coming week. “It was beyond expectation,” Atthapon told The Associated Press. “I wanted people to know her. I wanted a lot of people to visit her, or watch her online, or leave fun comments. I never would’ve thought (of this).”

The zoo sits on 800 hectares (almost 2,000 acres) of land and is home to more than 2,000 animals. It runs breeder programs for many endangered species like Moo Deng’s. The pygmy hippopotamus that’s native to West Africa is threatened by poaching and loss of habitat. There are only 2,000-3,000 of them left in the wild. To help fund the initiative, the zoo is making Moo Deng shirts and pants that will be ready for sale at the end of the month, with more merchandise to come. The zoo’s move to patent and trademark Moo Deng isn’t just a business strategy; it’s a protective measure. By securing Moo Deng’s name and likeness, the zoo aims to prevent unauthorized commercialization and ensure that any revenue generated from her fame directly benefits the animals. This includes improving habitats, funding conservation programs, and supporting the overall well-being of the zoo’s diverse animal population.

As Moo Deng continues to charm audiences worldwide, the Khao Kheow Open Zoo remains dedicated to its mission of conservation and education. The zoo’s efforts to protect and promote endangered species are crucial, and Moo Deng’s story is a heartwarming reminder of the impact that a single animal can have on raising awareness and inspiring positive change.

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Photo courtesy – https://people.com/how-to-livestream-moo-deng-baby-pygmy-hippo-from-thailand-8716444