After Moo Deng, Ava the tiger and Haggis the hippo take over the internet
The internet is obsessed with baby animals! They inspire a kind of cuteness aggression that is almost unexplainable. These baby animals can also act as a burst of serotonin on social media platforms that can sometimes seem all doom and gloom. So it is not surprising that when Moo Deng, a pygmy hippo from a Thailand zoo, burst on the internet, she was met with a lot of love and adoration. The number of visitors to the pygmy hippo section in the zoo also increased exponentially.
Capitalising on the bouncy pork’s (yes, that is the meaning of her name) fame, other zoos and wildlife sanctuaries around the world also began posting pictures of their younglings. In no time, we got a new animal to lavish attention on – Pesto the chunky penguin chick, who was too big for his age. Following his parents around and throwing some cute tantrums, he was also an instant superstar.
Now, we’ve got two new animals that have joined these rankings – Haggis the pygmy hippo and Ava the Tiger. Here’s a look at these cutie animals.
Ava the tiger
Ava, a three-year-old golden tabby tiger, has recently gone viral after Chiang Mai Night Safari in Thailand shared her photo on Facebook. Ava was born on February 16, 2021, alongside her sister Luna. Their parents arrived at the park from the Czech Republic and South Africa in 2015. With bright green expressive eyes, this Bengal tiger is one of the rarest breed, known as a golden or strawberry tigers. Reportedly, there are only about 30 such tigers in captivity around the world. With a soft, fluffy appearance and her unique colour variation caused by a recessive gene have made her extremely popular at the zoo and online.
Pesto the penguin
After Moo Deng got eyeballs, the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium shared photos of their king penguin Pesto, who gained notability in September 2024. The chunky baby, weighing 22.5kgs, had a nice full head of brown feathers. In a kind of bird puberty, Pesto is fledging and losing his baby feathers. He is sporting a full crow of his adult white and black feathers, with a bright yellow patch around his neck.
Haggis the pygmy hippo
A new pygmy hippo – Haggis – is on the block. With an estimated 2,500 hippos in the wild, she was born to parents Otto and Gloria on October 30 at the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland. This shiny, chubby creature has become the new viral superstar after its contemporary – Moo Deng. The endangered hippo gets it name from the national dish of Scotland, which is made with sheep’s stomach filled with spiced and diced innards.
Moo Deng the pygmy hippo
This pygmy hippo burst on the scene on July 10 July this year and garnered attention on social media. Moo Deng, which means bouncy pork, was born to parents Tony and Jonah at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand. The park has capitalised on her fame and now posts several photos and videos of the hippo regularly. With an obnoxiously loud personality, people on the internet have fallen in love with Moo Deng, making merch and memes of her.
