Overview

• The celebration opened July 10 with a parade and drew more than 12,000 visitors on its first afternoon at the zoo between Bangkok and Pattaya
• Moo Deng sampled bites of a €2,600 cake made from watermelon, corn, dragon fruit and tomatoes before her mother Joana finished the rest
• An auction of themed items saw a fan pay about €2,500 for the hippo’s bathtub while other memorabilia sales continue to fund zoo operations
• Now weighing 93 kg and exhibiting calmer behavior, Moo Deng’s transition from mischievous infant to mature attraction is on display
• Chosen by roughly 20,000 Facebook voters as “Moo Deng,” meaning “jumping pig,” the hippo’s branded merchandise remains a tourism lifeline for the post-pandemic zoo