(10 Jul 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chonburi, Thailand – 10 July 2025
1. Pygmy hippo Moo Deng walking out of water
2. Pan from crowd watching to Moo Deng and her mother Jona eating birthday treat
3. Moo Deng eating
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Tian Macleod Ji, The Associated Press:
"The world-famous baby pygmy hippo Moo Deng has turned one today. Her zoo in Thailand is marking the occasion today with a large makeshift cake made of fruits and vegetables. The cake was brought into Moo Deng’s enclosure, which she shares with her mum Jona. At first she was hesitant, preferring to stay in the cool water, but when her mum started eating it, Moo Deng soon joined in and matched her mum’s appetite, much to the delight of the crowd here. The visitors have come from all over the world. One fan from Texas is on her second trip this year, a whistle-stop 21-hour round trip."
5. Moo Deng
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Tian Macleod Ji, The Associated Press:
"Moo Deng is still small, but it’s not clear how long she will remain this cute. The zoo says baby pygmy hippos usually lose their youthful sparkle about the time they turn one. And since February she’s grown about 30 kilos or 65 pounds. The zoo says visitor numbers have also dropped by about half since the peak of Moo Deng mania last year."
7. Crowd watching
8. Moo Deng yawning
9. Moo Deng and her mother Jona eating birthday treat
STORYLINE:
Thousands of excited fans flocked to a Thai zoo on Thursday to celebrate the first birthday of Moo Deng, the adorable baby pygmy hippo that has become a social media sensation.
The Khao Kheow Open Zoo was overrun with Moo Deng’s fans on the first of four days of activities marking the hippo’s birthday, some flying internationally to see her.
The crowd took pictures of the baby hippo on their cameras or cell phones and sang “Happy birthday” as her birthday cake, made of a variety of fruits and vegetables, was placed near the pond.
Moo Deng soared to stardom shortly after she was born, largely thanks to her keeper Atthapon Nundee who shared adorable pictures and videos of the baby hippo on social media.
Atthapon keeps Moo Deng’s fans updated with moments of her squirming as he tries to wash her, biting him as he tries to play, or calmly closing her eyes as he rubs her belly.
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.
It matches the names of her other siblings: Moo Toon (stewed pork) and Moo Waan (sweet pork). There is also a common hippo at the zoo named Kha Moo (stewed pork leg).
The Khao Kheow Open Zoo saw spikes of visitors since shortly after Moo Deng was born.
But its director Narongwit Chodchoy says the number of visitors to the zoo has somewhat dropped since the height of Moo Deng’s fame.
Narongwit said the zoo has had about 2,000 visitors during a weekday and around 5,000 during weekends over the past few months, about half the numbers it saw at its peak.
AP video shot by Tian Macleod Ji
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