"Moo Deng" The Viral Baby Hippo

USZOOfan42 said:
As Fiona the hippo’s number 1 hater this is even worse! At least Fiona had a backstory, this one is just a baby Pygmy hippo that a few workers sprayed water on to start a mega craze. Now don’t even get me started on that penguin. Next is Brookfield Zoo’s very own moo deng is moving to blank.
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Is there something wrong with people getting attached to a cute memeable animal?
 
USZOOfan42 said:
Seriously, why are people praising this hippo and penguin as much as Fiona the hippo, or even more? To me there are many way more interesting births this year that show at least some more unique animals, the baby emperor penguin at SWC, baby pangolin at prauge, baby tree too at Bronx and many others from obscure places (Detroit included) which should be recovering WAY more attention.
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I myself am a bit biased towards Cardiff, the little baby long-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus capensis) that was rescued by SeaWorld San Diego earlier this year and is now a resident. It’s very rare for dolphins that young to survive stranding, especially of his species, and he had three separate jaw fractures to fight through. Now Bullet, their hybrid common-bottlenose dolphin, has taken a shine to him and is helping raise him alongside Sandy, one of if not the eldest of the dolphins there. I was lucky enough to get to see him from a distance a couple of months back. Little guy is stinkin’ cute haha, I hope he’s still doing well.
 
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USZOOfan42 said:
Seriously, why are people praising this hippo and penguin as much as Fiona the hippo, or even more? To me there are many way more interesting births this year that show at least some more unique animals, the baby emperor penguin at SWC, baby pangolin at prauge, baby tree too at Bronx and many others from obscure places (Detroit included) which should be recovering WAY more attention.
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It's a meme. If you're trying to apply logic to it, you've already lost. If you're annoyed by it, you're totally defeated.

But for the sake of the argument, no one outside of our little nerd bubble knows or cares about those other animals. Moo Deng's popularity was a fluke of algorithms and chance, nothing more or less. There are thousands of other cute zoo animals on the internet that might have had the same chance, and they didn't. That wasn't how the dice rolled.
 
yahnih said:
Is this a serious reply? Do you know the definition of sass?

Watch Moo Deng videos, then compare the calmness of the other calves.
PESTO, also has sass.
I am replying to the OP because the OP said : " It's a shame really, as many better zoos all over the world have Moo Dengs of their own that never caught the public's eye." - so I included PESTO the penguin as another animal who has caught the public eye.
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I do know the definition of sass. I also doubt that Moo Deng has more of it than other pygmy hippo calves. It's more likely that her behaviour is more well-documented and I do agree with the OP. Every pygmy hippo calf has the potential to be famous like Moo Deng and her zoo has simply recognised this and used it. There is nothing wrong with that and it is good that pygmy hippos and the zoo are getting more prominent but it doesn't mean that Moo Deng is special in her sass or has some qualities that others of her species don't.
 
yahnih said:
Is this a serious reply? Do you know the definition of sass?
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Quite the ironic question when your post about “sass” gives off less serious tone.


yahnih said:
PESTO, also has sass.
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No he doesn’t. He is just big.

Local_Shark said:
I think you may be experiencing a bit of an echo chamber effect lol, Pesto has gone super viral too. He’s the first king penguin chick hatched at Sea Life Melbourne. He’s even been talked about here on a couple of different occasions, mostly on the Sea Life Melbourne/Australia threads.
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Another thing that made Pesto famous is that he is said to be very large for king penguin chicks around his age.
 
Local_Shark said:
I myself am a bit biased towards Cardiff, the little baby long-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus capensis) that was rescued by SeaWorld San Diego earlier this year and is now a resident. It’s very rare for dolphins that young to survive stranding, especially of his species, and he had three separate jaw fractures to fight through. Now Bullet, their hybrid common-bottlenose dolphin, has taken a shine to him and is helping raise him alongside Sandy, one of if not the eldest of the dolphins there. I was lucky enough to get to see him from a distance a couple of months back. Little guy is stinkin’ cute haha, I hope he’s still doing well.
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What does the dolphin have to do with this? I think it barely has any recognition consoled to the others.
 
USZOOfan42 said:
What does the dolphin have to do with this? I think it barely has any recognition consoled to the others.
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He doesn’t. I just like him the best of all the cute baby animals that have been showing up lately. You just said in the post I quoted that there were other babies that could use/deserve this type of spotlight. I’d say a baby animal that was rescued, and thus shows exactly the type of good every zoo and aquarium can do, would be one such animal.
 
Local_Shark said:
He doesn’t. I just like him the best of all the cute baby animals that have been showing up lately. You just said in the post I quoted that there were other babies that could use/deserve this type of spotlight. I’d say a baby animal that was rescued, and thus shows exactly the type of good every zoo and aquarium can do, would be one such animal.
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I took it as he’s massive too :p​
 
USZOOfan42 said:
I took it as he’s massive too :p​
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Lmfao, not exactly my intent, but he is a fairly sizable baby now. They did a good job getting his nutrition up with formula, and his jaw’s healed so he’s on fish at this point. Apparently he’s eating 8 pounds of it a day! They actually pulled off a second rescue of an even younger long-beaked common dolphin in June, and he’s now graduated to assisted meaty food as well. Cardiff may end up with a little foster brother.

In any event, I do think that every one of these animals that’s getting meme’d and thus drawing a ton of attention to their (hopefully very good) home facilities is a good thing on the whole. They’re ambassadors for both their species and the best version of zoos and aquariums at large: that being, educational institutions that also serve as rescue and conservation centers and aid in species survival. Moo Deng and Pesto both provided a massive influx in cash to their homes, which will in turn help a lot of other animals. I’m all for that, personally.
 
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How long will a global 'sensation' like Moo Deng last. Is there a stage where he/she gets big enough to lose the 'cute' appeal, is that how it works? Or does interest wane quicker than that.
 
Pertinax said:
How long will a global 'sensation' like Moo Deng last. Is there a stage where he/she gets big enough to lose the 'cute' appeal, is that how it works? Or does interest wane quicker than that.
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Since Moodeng’s popularity isn’t ironic, I think she will be “just another pygmy hippopotamus” when she grows up. She might have a cult following like Fiona does as long as Khao Kheow Open Zoo never forgets to remind people of her existence.
 
PossumRoach said:
Since Moodeng’s popularity isn’t ironic, I think she will be “just another pygmy hippopotamus” when she grows up. She might have a cult following like Fiona does as long as Khao Kheow Open Zoo never forgets to remind people of her existence.
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I’d also like to add, Pesto’s following will most likely die once he gains the adult feathers.
 
PossumRoach said:
Since Moodeng’s popularity isn’t ironic, I think she will be “just another pygmy hippopotamus” when she grows up. She might have a cult following like Fiona does as long as Khao Kheow Open Zoo never forgets to remind people of her existence.
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I do, however, suspect that some of the more memeable images of her will be used around the internet for decades to come.
 
How much do you think Moo Deng's name has made her popular/more of a meme? Moo Deng as a name sounds quite cute and quirky in English and is also cute/quirky in Thai (Stretchy/Elastic/Bouncy Pig). There are lots of cute and potentially viral zoo births, is a cute name, and 'brand recognition' what makes the difference?
 
Pertinax said:
How long will a global 'sensation' like Moo Deng last. Is there a stage where he/she gets big enough to lose the 'cute' appeal, is that how it works? Or does interest wane quicker than that.
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Globally, I think the trend of "Moo Deng" has already diminished. However, I believe that people these days, When hearing the term "Moo Deng," people will think of a cute, small hippo that was once a trending sensation. And there are some people who will continue to follow her and be her loyal fans forever.
 
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