Current:Home > reviewsMoo Deng casts her 'vote' in presidential election. See which 'candidate' she picked. -WealthRise Academy
Moo Deng casts her 'vote' in presidential election. See which 'candidate' she picked.
View
Date:2025-04-18 16:41:49
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! (1536)
Related
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- Ryan Reynolds Makes Rare Comment About His and Blake Lively's Daughter James
- Supreme Court to weigh whether bans targeting homeless encampments run afoul of the Constitution
- California governor pledges state oversight for cities, counties lagging on solving homelessness
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Baby boomers are hitting peak 65. Two-thirds don't have nearly enough saved for retirement.
- Tattoo regret? PetSmart might pay to cover it up with your pet's portrait. Here's how.
- Cavinder twins are back: Haley, Hanna announce return to Miami women's basketball
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Tyler Cameron Slams Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist For Putting a Stain on Love and Bachelor Nation
Ranking
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Travis Kelce’s Ex Kayla Nicole Responds to “Constant Vitriol”
- Republicans file lawsuit challenging Evers’s partial vetoes to literacy bill
- Kid Cudi reveals engagement to designer Lola Abecassis Sartore: 'Life is wild'
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- Feds push back against judge and say troubled California prison should be shut down without delay
- Olivia Munn Shares How Her Double Mastectomy Journey Impacted Son Malcolm
- The Latest | Officials at Group of Seven meeting call for new sanctions against Iran
Recommendation
Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
Full jury seated at Trump trial on third day of selection process
Long-lost first USS Enterprise model is returned to ‘Star Trek’ creator Gene Roddenberry’s son
Motorist dies in fiery crash when vehicle plows into suburban Chicago highway toll plaza, police say
Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
Arrest made 7 years after off-duty D.C. police officer shot dead, girlfriend wounded while sitting in car in Baltimore
The 'magic bullet' driving post-pandemic population revival of major US urban centers
Coalition to submit 900,000 signatures to put tough-on-crime initiative on California ballot