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We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. If you value our coverage and want to support more of it, consider supporting us as a member. Join Us I sent my first Moo Deng meme via Instagram on September 3 at 10:15 pm, before the Thai baby pygmy hippopotamus took the world by storm (which means I’m better and more worldly than you).
It started innocently, with reposts from Khao Kheow Open Zoo’s X account , but quickly escalated until my coworkers started sending me tweets about making a brisket out of the poor thing. Exactly how Moo Deng — which translates to “bouncy pork” in Thai — has gone from adorable to edible is beyond my pay grade, but maybe it has something to do with the phenomenon of “ cuteness aggression ,” by which my desire to eat the hippo comes out of love and not malice (or hunger). That being said, the Khao Kheow Open Zoo is now concerned about Moo Deng’s safety, restricting v.