Animal rights group calls for release of Moo Deng

The wildlife activism group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has accused Khao Kheow Open Zoo of exploiting the baby pygmy hippo Moo Deng, saying she belongs in the wild.
“TikTok turned Moo Deng into a celebrity, but the reality is far from cute,” said a post on the Peta Facebook page dated Sept 23. “The zoo in Thailand is exploiting her for profit, parading her around like an attraction. A hippo’s home is the wild. Boycott roadside zoos!”
The post included a graphic with a message from Jason Baker, the group’s Asia senior vice president, who wrote, “There is nothing cute about a baby born into imprisonment!
“Moo Deng should’ve been born in the wild, not bred for human entertainment.”
The post also noted reports that some visitors who came to see Moo Deng had thrown water and other objects at her, saying this put her at risk of danger.
Officials of the zoo in Chon Buri made it clear that such behaviour would not be tolerated. If visitors do not cooperate, the zoo may consider legal action to protect its animal, it said.
The celebrity hippopotamus has become a global internet sensation since people first started noticing posts made by her keeper a few weeks ago. Her fame has been a major boon to Khao Kheow Open Zoo, with crowds waiting hours to participate in five-minute viewing sessions.
A spokesperson told the media that revenue from admission fees in September had quadrupled to 19.2 million baht, compared to the same month last year.
The popularity of the two-month-old has also set off massive sales of merchandise and a 24-hour livestream.
Many responses to the Peta post have voiced disagreement, asserting that the zoo is contributing to the conservation of the endangered pygmy hippo.
One comment read: “The pygmy hippo is an endangered animal. If you leave it in the wild, do you think it will be safe from enemies and hunters?”

Endangered pygmy hippos are native to West Africa, and there are about 2,000 to 2,500 left in the world, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Last year, Peta accused the Thai coconut industry of “kidnapping countless monkeys as babies and later forcing them to pick coconuts”. Industry executives have denied the allegations.