Visitor fined for climbing into viral hippo Moo Deng’s enclosure at Thai zoo

Zoo says it has increased security since the incident in March to deter would-be intruders
A Thai court has fined a man £233 after he entered the enclosure housing viral pygmy hippo Moo Deng .

According to director Narongwit Chodchoy, the Thai national entered the enclosure while a keeper was absent and no other visitors were present.

He stayed inside for around two minutes before staff noticed him.

Chodchoy said that the individual did not attempt to flee as the zoo contacted police.

Security footage that has been widely circulated online shows a man in a black beanie, sunglasses, green tank top, and brown shorts approaching Moo Deng and her mother, Jona, while holding a tablet, seemingly recording.

At the time, the zoo said on their official Facebook page that while Moo Deng and Jona were unharmed, they had been “slightly startled” by the encounter and were under veterinary observation.

The man was charged with trespassing, and later released on bail.

The zoo confirmed on their Facebook page that the man had been found guilty by the Chonburi provincial court and fined 10,000 baht (£232.7).

They also reiterated the zoo’s rules, reminding visitors that “climbing or entering the animal enclosures” is forbidden.

“Together, take care of the welfare of wild animals to ensure that Moo Deng and all animals are happy and safe.

Enjoy the cuteness from a distance, respect the rules,” the statement read.

The Khao Kheow Open Zoo, located around 100km southeast of Bangkok, spans nearly 2,000 acres and houses over 2,000 animals.

Since the incident, Chodchoy told AFP that 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.”
On the verdict, he said: “The decision shows that no one can violate animals' rights, no matter whether they are in an enclosure or in the wild.

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.”
Moo Deng, whose name comes from the Thai word for “bouncy pork,” was born in 2024 at Khao Kheow Open Zoo.

She became a global internet sensation within weeks of her birth after videos of her biting at her keeper, slipping while being hosed down, and trailing closely behind her mother went viral on social media and drew millions of views.

Her popularity quickly spilled offline, inspiring themed cakes across Thailand and even a Sephora Thailand campaign encouraging users to “wear your blush like a baby hippo”.

On peak days, more than 12,000 people visited the zoo to see her, prompting authorities to introduce time limits for visitors and increase crowd management measures.

Some visitors had been caught throwing water and other objects at the baby hippo to get her to react, causing the zoo director to threaten legal action and install surveillance cameras.

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