Current:Home > reviewsMoo Deng casts her 'vote' in presidential election. See which 'candidate' she picked. -Wealth Legacy Solutions
Moo Deng casts her 'vote' in presidential election. See which 'candidate' she picked.
Rekubit View
Date:2025-03-11 11:29:11
A wet, chubby baby hippopotamus has cast her "vote" in on the U.S. presidential election.
Moo Deng, a baby pygmy hippopotamus at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand, was presented with two fruit baskets made to look like cakes this week, one with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris' name and the other with Republican candidate Donald Trump's name.
In a video shared by Khao Kheow Open Zoo on X, both cakes are placed in Moo Deng's pen, surrounded by a crowd of eager guests. The video depicts Moo Deng slowly walking up to her fruit basket of choice and before long, she's munching and crunching on the Trump cake.
Moo Deng's mother, on the other hand, chose the fruit bearing Harris' name.
Who is Moo Deng?
Nearly four months old, Moo Deng has taken social media by storm during her short time on earth. Videos and photos of the baby hippo yelling at her zoo keepers, resting in a water bucket and enjoying a bath have garnered millions of views this summer. And Khao Kheow Open Zoo boasts more than 132,000 followers on X.
Born on July 10, Moo Deng's name means "bouncing pig" in Thai. Her mother is Jona, 25, and her father is Tony, 24. She has two siblings, Pork Stew and Sweet Pork. Moo Deng is also the granddaughter of Thailand's oldest hippo, Malee, who is 59 years old, according to previous USA TODAY reporting.
Pygmy hippos, often thought of as the smaller cousin, are about half the size of common hippos, weighting less than one-fourth of a full-sized common hippo, according to the Pygmy Hippo Foundation. Pygmies are native to West Africa and their average life expectancy is 27 years.
In 2016, pygmy hippos were deemed an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A 1993 survey conducted by IUCN found that only about 2,000-3,000 pygmies remained worldwide.
A new pygmy on the block? Meet Haggis.
Moo Deng is no longer the only pygmy hippo looking for social media fame.
On Oct. 30, a female pygmy calf named Haggis was born at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland's Edinburgh Zoo to parents Otto and Gloria, according to a news release shared by the institution.
“While Thailand’s Moo Deng has become a viral global icon, it is important to remember that pygmy hippos are incredibly rare," Jonny Appleyard, hoofstock team leader at Edinburgh Zoo, said in the release. "It is great to have our own little ambassador right here in Edinburgh to connect with our visitors and help raise awareness of the challenges the species face in the wild.”
Appleyard added that Haggis is "doing really well" and her personality is already starting to shine.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].
veryGood! (376)
Related
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- Man charged in shooting of 5 men following fight over parking space at a Detroit bar
- Man charged in shooting of 5 men following fight over parking space at a Detroit bar
- Rural Texas towns report cyberattacks that caused one water system to overflow
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Coalition to submit 900,000 signatures to put tough-on-crime initiative on California ballot
- These Cookbooks Will Save You From Boring Meals This Summer
- Mariska Hargitay Helps Little Girl Reunite With Mom After She's Mistaken for Real-Life Cop
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- Chicago’s response to migrant influx stirs longstanding frustrations among Black residents
Ranking
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Valerie Bertinelli's apparent boyfriend confirms relationship: 'I just adore her'
- California governor pledges state oversight for cities, counties lagging on solving homelessness
- Puerto Rican parrot threatened by more intense, climate-driven hurricanes
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- Rapper GloRilla arrested in Georgia for an alleged DUI, failing to do breathalyzer
- Motorist dies in fiery crash when vehicle plows into suburban Chicago highway toll plaza, police say
- Massachusetts IRS agent charged with filing false tax returns for 3 years
Recommendation
Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
Google fires 28 employees after protest against contract with Israeli government
The 'magic bullet' driving post-pandemic population revival of major US urban centers
Where to Buy Cute Cheap Clothing Online
Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
Kourtney Kardashian Claps Back at Claim Kim Kardashian Threw Shade With Bikini Photo
Maryland teen charged with planning school shooting after police review writings, internet searches
First major attempts to regulate AI face headwinds from all sides