Baby Hippo in Thailand Gets Official Song for Worldwide Fans
2024-11-23
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1A baby hippopotamus in Thailand became famous earlier this year when zoo workers published images and videos of her online.
2Now the pygmy hippo, named Moo Deng, has an official song and video released in several languages for her fans worldwide.
3Moo Deng lives at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, southeast of the Thai capital, Bangkok.
4Zoo worker Atthapon Nundee has been posting sweet moments of the animal's life for the past few months.
5During that time, the hippo has received widespread attention on social media.
6Fans of the animal have expressed how they enjoy watching the pink-cheeked baby actively interact with her mother and other zoo workers.
7Moo Deng - which means "bouncy pork" in Thai - is a kind of meatball.
8The name, chosen by fans on social media, is similar to those of her two siblings: Moo Toon (stewed pork) and Moo Waan (sweet pork).
9In addition, the zoo has a common hippo named Kha Moo (stewed pork leg).
10Moo Deng's popularity has spread internationally and she has gained the attention of some professional sports teams.
11Fans say her name fits her lively personality.
12Moo Deng likes to "deng," or bounce, and her bouncing behavior has led to countless internet memes.
13For example, the German soccer team FC Bayern, American basketball team Phoenix Suns and the American football team Washington Commanders have all created Moo Deng memes.
14The images give her interesting things to wear and put her in different human-like situations.
15Atthapon, the zoo worker, told The Associated Press he was surprised the newborn pygmy hippo quickly became such a huge internet star.
16"I wanted people to know her," he explained.
17"I wanted a lot of people to visit her, or watch her online, or leave fun comments. I never would've thought (of this)," he added.
18The widespread publicity led a well-known Thai composer to write and produce a special song for Moo Deng.
19The lively, 50-second song is called, naturally, Moodeng.
20One of Thailand's biggest recording companies, GMM Music, released the song.
21A music video that goes along with the song shows the baby hippo bouncing around, playing with her keeper or spending time with her mother, Jona.
22Moo Deng is now four months old.
23She has also been drawing big crowds at the zoo.
24Officials estimated the baby hippo has brought in about 3,000 to 5,000 visitors a day on average during the past few months.
25The zoo has been selling clothes, bedding and other products based on Moo Deng.
26The zoo's director is Narongwit Chodchoi.
27He told the AP that the additional earnings from Moo Deng will help the zoo's breeding programs for many endangered animals, like the pygmy hippopotamus.
28Illegal hunting and loss of habitat threatens the animal's existence.
29Pygmy hippos are native to West Africa.
30But experts say there are only 2,000-3,000 of them left in the wild.
31All four versions of the Moo Deng song are available on YouTube and on streaming services including Spotify and Apple Music.
32I'm Bryan Lynn.
1A baby hippopotamus in Thailand became famous earlier this year when zoo workers published images and videos of her online. Now the pygmy hippo, named Moo Deng, has an official song and video released in several languages for her fans worldwide. 2Moo Deng lives at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, southeast of the Thai capital, Bangkok. Zoo worker Atthapon Nundee has been posting sweet moments of the animal's life for the past few months. 3During that time, the hippo has received widespread attention on social media. Fans of the animal have expressed how they enjoy watching the pink-cheeked baby actively interact with her mother and other zoo workers. 4Moo Deng - which means "bouncy pork" in Thai - is a kind of meatball. The name, chosen by fans on social media, is similar to those of her two siblings: Moo Toon (stewed pork) and Moo Waan (sweet pork). In addition, the zoo has a common hippo named Kha Moo (stewed pork leg). 5Moo Deng's popularity has spread internationally and she has gained the attention of some professional sports teams. Fans say her name fits her lively personality. Moo Deng likes to "deng," or bounce, and her bouncing behavior has led to countless internet memes. 6For example, the German soccer team FC Bayern, American basketball team Phoenix Suns and the American football team Washington Commanders have all created Moo Deng memes. The images give her interesting things to wear and put her in different human-like situations. 7Atthapon, the zoo worker, told The Associated Press he was surprised the newborn pygmy hippo quickly became such a huge internet star. "I wanted people to know her," he explained. "I wanted a lot of people to visit her, or watch her online, or leave fun comments. I never would've thought (of this)," he added. 8The widespread publicity led a well-known Thai composer to write and produce a special song for Moo Deng. The lively, 50-second song is called, naturally, Moodeng. One of Thailand's biggest recording companies, GMM Music, released the song. 9A music video that goes along with the song shows the baby hippo bouncing around, playing with her keeper or spending time with her mother, Jona. 10Moo Deng is now four months old. She has also been drawing big crowds at the zoo. Officials estimated the baby hippo has brought in about 3,000 to 5,000 visitors a day on average during the past few months. The zoo has been selling clothes, bedding and other products based on Moo Deng. 11The zoo's director is Narongwit Chodchoi. He told the AP that the additional earnings from Moo Deng will help the zoo's breeding programs for many endangered animals, like the pygmy hippopotamus. Illegal hunting and loss of habitat threatens the animal's existence. Pygmy hippos are native to West Africa. But experts say there are only 2,000-3,000 of them left in the wild. 12All four versions of the Moo Deng song are available on YouTube and on streaming services including Spotify and Apple Music. 13I'm Bryan Lynn. 14The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. 15_____________________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17bounce - v. to move up or away after hitting a surface 18sibling - n. a brother or sister 19personality - n. a set of emotional qualities that makes a person different from other people 20meme - n. an idea, image, video, etc. that spreads very quickly on the internet 21breed - v. reproduce 22habitat - n. the natural environment an animal or plant usually lives in