LONDON – The Edinburgh Zoo launched a cuteness contest between Haggis, its newborn pygmy hippo, and Moo Deng, the adorable mini hippopotamus that became a viral sensation at a Thailand zoo this summer.
“Moo Deng? Who deng?” the Scottish zoo playfully posted Monday on the social media platform X as it introduced its infant hippo to the world.
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The smack talk pitted two critters with more in common than just being females calves of the same endangered species. They’re also named for meat products that don’t typically carry cute connotations.
Haggis, the national dish of Scotland that is butt of many jokes, is made in a sheep’s stomach filled with spiced and diced innards. Moo deng is a type of meatball that means “bouncy pork” in Thai.
Moo Deng, a pudgy, pink-cheeked pygmy hippo, quickly became a social media star about two months after being born at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in July. Videos of her went viral and she was the source of endless memes.
The Thai zoo planned to copyright and trademark the hippo's name and capitalize on its fame by making shirts, pants and other merchandise to support its operations.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland is also looking to cash in on its prize pygmy with a drawing promising the winner a “unique pygmy hippo experience” to meet Haggis and her parents, Gloria and Otto. Tickets are 5 British pounds ($6.50) and the zoo had raised more than half its 15,000 pound ($19,500) target in a day.
“Prepare to fall in love with wee Haggis,” the zoo said. “With her playful nature, Haggis will show you why the world has fallen in love with pygmy hippos!”
There are only an estimated 2,500 pygmy hippopotamuses in the wild in West Africa, where it is threatened by poaching and loss of habitat.
Edinburgh Zoo visitors won't immediately be able to see Haggis, who was born Oct. 30, because the hippo house will be closed during the first month of her development.
After using Moo Deng’s fame to draw attention to Haggis, the zoo apologized for creating a rivalry.
“We were wrong to pit Haggis and Moo Deng against each other," the zoo said in a later post. “There is space in this world for two beautiful pygmy hippo divas and we should celebrate them all."