The Spectacle of Moo Deng + the Myth of Zoo Conservation

Over the last few weeks, pygmy hippo baby Moo Deng and her siblings Moo Wan and Moo Tun have taken over social media, with thousands sharing images, video, edits, and art of the three hippos at Khao Kheow Open Zoo. Their online fame has translated to offline fame as well, with visitors to the zoo skyrocketing and limits being put on the amount of time the public can see Moo Deng. Stories about water and other objects being thrown at the hippos to elicit a reaction have already been circulating. Supporters of Moo Deng and the Khao Kheow Open Zoo insist that this kind of press is good for hippos.

Because pygmy hippos are  endangered, they think that more people seeing the animals will lead to more concern for their wellbeing in the wild. This sentiment is all too common in the zoo world, where claims of conversation are used to justify the captivity of wild animals, but it’s not that simple. In fact, many zoos’ claims of conservation are massively overstated. In Moo Deng’s case, her fame seems to be perpetuating the narrative of animals as products and commodities even further.

“Moo Deng and her siblings’ names denote consumption: the public voted on her name, which translated means “bouncy pork.” Moo Tun means “stewed pork” and Moo Wan means “sweet pork.””

Zookeeper taking a video of Moo Deng.

Moo Deng running with mouth open in enclosure.

When a baby animal gets popular online, one of the most frequent comments from viewers is “I want one.” Moo Deng videos are no exception. The comment sections aren’t flooded with people asking how they can expand the available habitat area for these animals in their native countries. Instead, you’ll see people expressing how much they want to have an animal like this in their own home, how much they want to pet/touch/hug/interact with the animal, and even expressing sadness that this baby will eventually be an adult. Not to mention that even Moo Deng and her siblings’ names denote consumption: the public voted on her name, which translated means “bouncy pork.” Moo Tun means “stewed pork” and Moo Wan means “sweet pork.” One of the reasons pygmy hippos are endangered in the wild is because they are illegally hunted — are names like these helping to keep these animals safe?

Moo Deng with mouth open by zookeeper. 

Moo Deng being held by zookeeper.

Zoos like Khao Kheow Open Zoo and the Basel Zoo in Switzerland are not breeding pygmy hippos to go back out into the wild. They are continuing to breed animals in captivity in order to profit of the entertainment they provide visitors, while suggesting that some of their revenue may go towards projects that are related to conserving these animals in their native countries. And what about the actions of visitors and fans of these zoo animals? Looking at a 2014 study from Anthrozoös, Faunalytics noted that “There is no concrete evidence in this study that the positive feelings experienced by zoo visitors actually affect their future actions.” This research indicates that zoos do not necessarily engender new feelings of conservation-mindedness in visitors.

Sentient Media notes in a 2023 article that “Most zoos are for-profit enterprises, meaning they have one goal in mind: maximizing revenue.” When an individual like Moo Deng goes viral, it translates to increased revenue for the zoo, not necessarily increased conservation work on behalf of their species. Ultimately, Moo Deng’s viral popularity is unlikely to have a positive effect on the global wellbeing of wild animals, and in fact may push the needle in the opposite direction. In the public eye, she is still being treated as entertainment and not as an individual.