Bangkok: An endangered baby pygmy hippo that shot to social media stardom in Thailand has become a lucrative source of income for her home zoo, quadrupling its ticket sales, the institution said Thursday.
Moo Deng, whose name in Thai means "bouncy pork", has drawn tens of thousands of visitors to Khao Kheow Open Zoo this month.
The two-month-old pygmy hippo went viral on TikTok and Instagram for her cheeky antics, inspiring merch, memes and even craft tutorials on how to make crocheted or cake-based Moo Dengs at home.
A zoo spokesperson told AFP that ticket sales from the start of September to Wednesday reached almost 19.2 million baht ($590,000) - more than four times the same period last year.
Fans from all over the world have queued for hours outside her enclosure, forcing keepers to limit Moo Deng observation time to five minutes each.
The zoo has set up a round-the-clock livestream of the hippo's enclosure to ease waiting times and for fans who cannot visit in person.
It is also hoping Moo Deng fever spurs further merchandise sales, launching a pygmy hippo-themed T-shirt line last week. At 300 baht, or $9 a pop, it is currently only available at the zoo itself.
"We have outsourced a company to help us produce Moo Deng products, like T-shirts and trousers," said the zoo's spokesperson, adding any Moo Deng-generated profits would go towards improving facilities for all the zoo's animals, not just its star moneymaker.
"Income will be used to maintain the zoo."
The hype has prompted animal rights group PETA to post a statement on its website saying "there's nothing cute about a baby being born in captivity".
Endangered pygmy hippos are native to West Africa, and there are only an estimated 2,000-2,500 left in the world, according to the IUCN.
