Just when you thought Moo Deng was the only celebrity baby pygmy hippopotamus taking the world by storm in 2024, along comes another one.
A new baby pygmy hippo in Scotland is following in three-month-old Moo Deng’s footsteps. Her name? Haggis. Yes, just like the notorious Scottish dish made of minced sheep’s organs.
Haggis, who is a female calf just like Moo Deng, was born to parents Gloria and Otto at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Edinburgh Zoo on Oct. 30, according to a press release that jokingly began, "Moo Deng who?"
"Haggis is doing really well so far and it is amazing to see her personality beginning to shine already," Jonny Appleyard, hoofstock team leader at Edinburgh Zoo, said in a statement in the release.
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"The first 30 days are critical for her development, so the pygmy hippo house will be closed for now to allow us to keep a close eye on mum and baby at this sensitive time."
The zoo explained that pygmy hippos, which are native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, are an endangered species, with only about 2,500 remaining in the wild because of habitat loss.
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"While Thailand’s Moo Deng has become a viral global icon, it is important to remember that pygmy hippos are incredibly rare," said Appleyard. "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."
The zoo also announced Haggis' arrival on X. "Moo Deng? Who deng? ...Introducing Haggis," it wrote alongside a video of "adorable Haggis" lying in hay at the zoo.
Hours later, the zoo posted a Notes App apology on X to clarify that it never meant to cause friction between Haggis and Moo Deng, who lives at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand.
"We were wrong to pit Haggis and Moo Deng against each other. There is space in this world for two beautiful pygmy hippo divas and we should celebrate them all. Sorry to Moo Deng. Let's work it out in the remix," the zoo wrote. The last line is a reference to Lorde and Charli XCX working out their relationship on the remix to Charli XCX's "Girl, so confusing."
Moo Deng, the original viral baby hippo of 2024, became an internet sensation after the Khao Kheow Open Zoo began sharing images and videos of her on the zoo's Facebook, X and YouTube accounts.
Fans happily took over Moo Deng’s promotion by sharing millions more of their own videos of her on TikTok.
Moo Deng has also been a big draw in person at Khao Kheow Open Zoo with roughly 10,000 visitors showing up each day to visit her since her arrival in July, NBC News reported in September.
TODAY viewers met Moo Deng up close during a segment that aired on Sept. 26. The segment showed the baby hippo eating, sleeping, eating, and playing at the zoo.
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