LONDON — The Edinburgh Zoo has kicked off a playful competition featuring Haggis, its newly born pygmy hippo, and Moo Deng, the charming mini hippo that captured hearts and went viral at a zoo in Thailand this past summer.
On Monday, the Scottish zoo took to the social media platform X to introduce Haggis to the world, playfully mocking Moo Deng with the caption, “Moo Deng? Who deng?” The lighthearted banter highlighted the similarities these two adorable young hippos share, not just as endangered species but also in their quirky names related to meat products that are typically not associated with cuteness.
Haggis, named after Scotland’s national dish—a dish humorously known for being made in a sheep’s stomach filled with various spiced offals—faces off against Moo Deng, a name that translates to “bouncy pork” in Thai, which refers to a specific type of meatball.
Moo Deng rose to fame shortly after her birth at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in July, quickly becoming a social media hit with her endearing looks, including her round face and rosy cheeks. The zoo shared numerous videos of Moo Deng, which turned her into a viral sensation, leading to a flurry of memes.
To leverage this newfound fame, the Thai zoo announced plans to trademark Moo Deng’s name and create merchandise such as clothing to fund their operations.
Meanwhile, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland is also looking to capitalize on Haggis’s cuteness. They are offering a draw in which the winner will receive an exclusive opportunity to meet Haggis and her parents, Gloria and Otto. Tickets for this contest are priced at 5 British pounds (approximately $6.50), and incredibly, the zoo managed to raise over half of its £15,000 ($19,500) goal in just one day.
The zoo encouraged everyone to “Prepare to fall in love with wee Haggis,” emphasizing her playful spirit and the growing affection for pygmy hippos globally.
Currently, it is estimated that only about 2,500 pygmy hippopotamuses exist in the wild, primarily located in West Africa. This species faces threats from poaching and habitat destruction.
While visitors to the Edinburgh Zoo will have to wait, as the hippo house will remain closed for the first month of Haggis’s life, the zoo hopes to draw people’s interest and awareness to conservation efforts through this joyful rivalry.
Later on, the zoo reflected on the friendly competition and recognized the potential for misunderstanding. “We were wrong to pit Haggis and Moo Deng against each other,” they stated in a follow-up post. “There is space in this world for two beautiful pygmy hippo divas and we should celebrate them all.”