Moo Deng brings new attention to pygmy hippos at Boston's Franklin Park Zoo
BOSTON - Moo Deng is social media's newest darling. The baby pygmy hippo first captured the hearts of gawkers at her zoo in Thailand, and then she devoured the world wide web faster than a head of lettuce.
It was only four years ago that the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston had their own baby pygmy and now zookeepers there hope Moo Deng's popularity can help the endangered species.
Pygmy hippo habitat shrinking
"They aren't a species that always gets attention," said Erica Farrell, assistant curator of the tropical forest at the Franklin Park Zoo. "Pygmy hippos live only in a small space in a couple of countries in West Africa. Because people need space themselves, it's shrinking their habitat."
Farrell helps to look after Ptolemy at the Franklin Park Zoo. The pygmy hippo was born at the zoo, and lives there with his mother and father. As you can imagine, he had similar fanfare when he was born in 2020.
"He was just as cute, if not cuter, if I say myself. Baby pygmy hippos are so small, and they love to run around, be silly," said Farrell. "There's probably only 2,500 to 3,000 [pygmy hippos] left in the wild, and that's an estimate."
Their more famous cousin is the big river hippo. Farrell says the river hippo is quite different. They live in big groups, in big open areas and in the big rivers of Africa. The pygmy hippo lives alone, and only comes together for mating or to raise their young. While pygmies still weigh 400 to 500 pounds, it's their smaller stature that gives pygmies their cute label.
"There aren't a ton of conservation efforts on the ground for pygmy hippos," said Farrell.
She hopes Moo Deng's recent exposure will help spark more efforts to save the endangered species worldwide.