A new social media sensation has been born at Edinburgh Zoo – meet Haggis the pygmy hippo.
After Moo Deng sent the internet wild after playfully biting and headbutting keepers in Thailand, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland was delighted to announce the birth of their own endangered calf to parents Otto and Gloria.
The tiny girl was born on Wednesday and has since been named Haggis by the wildlife conservation charity.
Jonny Appleyard, hoofstock team leader at Edinburgh Zoo, said: “Haggis is doing really well so far and it is amazing to see her personality beginning to shine already.
“The first 30 days are critical for her development, so the pygmy hippo house will be closed for now to allow us to keep a close eye on mum and baby at this sensitive time.”
Pygmy hippos are native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, primarily Liberia. The species is classified as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN) and it is estimated that just 2,500 remain in the wild due to habitat loss.
Mr Appleyard added: “While Thailand’s Moo Deng has become a viral global icon, it is important to remember that pygmy hippos are incredibly rare.
“It is great to have our own little ambassador right here in Edinburgh to connect with our visitors and help raise awareness of the challenges the species face in the wild.”
The zoo will be hoping for that same Moo Deng bounce which saw zoo attendences more than triple as Moo’s cuteness led to plans for a 24/7 livestream so the world can watch her grow up. A bakery in Bangkok announced on Facebook that it had to limit orders for its Moo Deng-inspired cakes due to overwhelming demand.
Vulture wrote: “She has little teeny, tiny baby chompers, she’s perpetually wet, and her name means bouncy pork. It’s the ultimate recipe for internet cuteness.”
Moo Deng in Thai is a type of meatball. It was reported that the name was chosen by fans through a social media poll, keeping in theme with her siblings: Moo Toon (stewed pork) and Moo Waan (sweet pork).
And the Scots followed suit naming their own baby hippo Haggis after their own national dish.
An adult pygmy hippo can live up to 50 years and can grow to about half the height of a full-sized hippo. In the wild, their diet mainly consists of grass, leaves, shoots, and fallen fruits.
