A Thai man broke into the zoo enclosure of Moo Deng, an endangered baby pygmy hippo and internet sensation, police said Wednesday, as the zoo filed a trespassing complaint.<\/p>\n
Moo Deng — whose name translates as “bouncy pork” — has gained global attention thanks to social media videos showing her adorable antics, drawing tens of thousands of visitors and boosting zoo ticket sales.<\/p>\n
Khao Kheow Open Zoo, about a two-hour drive from the capital Bangkok, said a Thai national had unlawfully entered the animal’s pen on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Footage of the close encounter released by local media showed a man wearing a tank top, shorts and sandals inside the enclosure and recording Moo Deng with a tablet.<\/p>\n
Zoo staff took about 10 minutes to remove the man from the pen, which also houses Moo Deng’s mother, local media reported.<\/p>\n
“The individual entered a restricted animal area,” the zoo said in a statement.<\/p>\n
It would “pursue legal action without exception” and added that Moo Deng was unharmed but “slightly startled” by the incident.<\/p>\n
Police told AFP the intruder, a man who visited the zoo with his grandnephew, had wanted a closer look at the animal.<\/p>\n
“We have initiated a trespassing case,” said local investigating officer Athiwat Siralertthakorn.<\/p>\n
No arrest has been made so far, he added.<\/p>\n
Under Thai law, trespassers face up to one year in jail, a fine of up to 20,000 baht ($618) or both.<\/p>\n
The pygmy hippo calf, which marked its first birthday in July, has inspired merchandise and memes since first going viral online in 2024.<\/p>\n
Moo Deng has even featured in a beauty campaign by cosmetics giant Sephora, highlighting her glowing, peach-toned face.<\/p>\n
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