Man fined US$300 for entering hippo Moo Deng’s pen: Thai zoo

Hippo Moo Deng yawns at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand, on July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

BANGKOK, Thailand -- A Thai court has fined a man US$300 after he broke into the enclosure of Moo Deng, an endangered baby pygmy hippo and internet sensation, the zoo director said Wednesday.

Moo Deng -- whose name translates as “bouncy pork” -- has gained global attention thanks to social media videos showing her adorable antics, drawing tens of thousands of visitors and boosting zoo ticket sales.

Last month, a Thai man unlawfully entered Moo Deng’s pen, which also houses her mother, at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo about a two-hour drive from the capital Bangkok.

Footage of the close encounter released by local media showed a man inside the enclosure and recording Moo Deng with a tablet.

Khao Kheow Open Zoo said at the time that Moo Deng was unharmed but “slightly startled”, and it would pursue legal action against the intruder.

On Wednesday, zoo director Narongwit Chodchoy told AFP that a state prosecutor had informed him that the man was found guilty by a local court after his confession and fined 10,000 baht (US$300).

AFP could not immediately reach a court official for comment.

“The decision shows that no one can violate animals’ rights, no matter whether they are in an enclosure or in the wild,” Narongwit said.

Since the incident in March, he said no similar security breaches had occurred and the zoo had increased security patrols to deter would-be intruders.

“We train staff on what to do if any animals escape, but from now on, we will have to train them on what to do if there are any intruders,” Narongwit said.

“We learned from this lesson and will not allow it to happen again -- not to Moo Deng and not to other animals in the zoo.”

The pygmy hippo calf, which marked its first birthday in July, has inspired merchandise and memes since first going viral online in 2024.

AFP