Moo Deng Mania

While Jona the hippopotamus, crushing whole watermelons in her jaws, may attract the attention of a handful of visitors at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo, it is her daughter, Moo Deng, whose fruitless gnawing of a zookeeper’s knee has garnered a global audience.  True to her name, which translates as “bouncy pork” in Thai, this two-month-old baby hippo gained celebrity status after adorable clips of her wriggling from the hands of her keepers and fleeing bath time went viral on TikTok. She now has a constant influx of visitors — both to her enclosure and via a 24-hour livestream — which begs the question of why her playful persona and childlike charm has inspired such a frenzy.

Our reaction to cuteness, as is the case with baby animals like Moo Deng, may be best described by the emotion of kama muta, which means “moved by love” in Sanskrit. Kama muta can be evoked by features that are reminiscent of an infant’s, including a disproportionately large head, expressively big eyes, or a petite nose — all of which are central to the Moo Deng appeal. This may be linked to the innately human caretaker response which, throughout evolution, served to motivate attention and protectiveness in parents towards vulnerable offspring. Interestingly, cuteness can also elicit feelings of aggression — so called ‘cuteness aggression’ — which may act as an evolutionary mechanism to prevent the brain from being overcome by positive emotions. As a result, this type of aggression can be used to drive the caretaker response in adults.

Cuteness, which fires neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex (an area of the brain involved in sorting sensory information, responding to rewards, and emotions), can boost the empathy and engagement we give to other living things. For example, when looking at baby pictures, humans — regardless of parental status or sex — will spend significantly more time viewing the photograph than they would with that of an adult. This may explain why social media platforms like TikTok, which amplify the spread of content that is viewed more frequently or for longer due to their interaction-based algorithms, have contributed to the elevation of Moo Deng as a cultural icon.

The worldwide frenzy she has induced, aside from significantly contributing to the popular culture of 2024, may also inspire public support for conservation efforts. Pygmy hippos are a severely endangered species, with the last global count totalling a woeful 2,500 mature adults in the wild. While the Khao Kheow Open Zoo claims conservation of the species to be its overarching goal, the £450,000 in ticket sales during the month of September alone has been slated by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), who stated that “breeding [animals] for public display perpetuates their suffering.” Although the zoo refuted this notion, it is not unreasonable to wonder if being ogled at by thousands of noisy, camera-clicking visitors each day is tormenting for the captive hippo.

Whether this spirited, semi-aquatic superstar conjures feelings of irresistible charm or impassioned aggression, perhaps our collective adulation is best kept behind the screens of our phones rather than the bars of an enclosure. According to West African folklore, pygmy hippos held diamonds in their mouths to act as torches for exploring murky forests. While this image undeniably adds to Moo Deng’s cuteness, it gives us hope that we can maintain our adoration from a distance, as the cheeky baby hippo we love trots on home.

Image by Wikipedia Commons