Current:Home > MyMoo Deng casts her 'vote' in presidential election. See which 'candidate' she picked. -TradeWise
Moo Deng casts her 'vote' in presidential election. See which 'candidate' she picked.
View
Date:2025-04-17 04:34:17
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 gcross@gannett.com.
veryGood! (811)
Related
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- Nicki Minaj Reveals Why She Decided to Get a Breast Reduction
- Jillian Ludwig, college student hit by stray bullet in Nashville, has died
- Dignitaries attend funeral of ex-Finnish President Ahtisaari, peace broker and Nobel laureate
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Video shows man crashing car into Florida sheriff's deputies, injuring 2
- Manny Machado digs in at groundbreaking for San Diego FC’s training complex and academy
- Philip Pullman is honored in Oxford, and tells fans when to expect his long-awaited next book
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Trump suggests he or another Republican president could use Justice Department to indict opponents
Ranking
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Keke Palmer accuses ex Darius Jackson of 'physically attacking me,' mother responds
- Belmont University freshman Jillian Ludwig dies after being shot by stray bullet in Nashville park
- Man who narrowly survived electrical accident receives world's first eye transplant
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Foreman runs for TD, Bears beat Panthers 16-13 to boost their shot at the top pick in the draft
- Awkward in the NL Central: Craig Counsell leaving for Cubs dials up rivalry with Brewers
- Dua Lipa Shows Off Her Red-Hot Hair With an Equally Fiery Ensemble
Recommendation
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
Media watchdog says it was just ‘raising questions’ with insinuations about photographers and Hamas
Man sentenced to life for fatally shooting 2 Dallas hospital workers after his girlfriend gave birth
2 men accused of assaulting offers with flag pole, wasp spray during Capitol riot
This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
Oil companies attending climate talks have minimal green energy transition plans, AP analysis finds
Palestinian soccer team prepares for World Cup qualifying games against a backdrop of war
Flush with new funding, the IRS zeroes in on the taxes of uber-wealthy Americans