A two-month-old pygmy hippo has become an internet sensation across Thailand and beyond after footage went viral online of her wobbling around her enclosure, nibbling her zookeeper and being sprayed with water.
一隻兩個月大的侏儒河馬在泰國及其他地區的網路上引起了轟動，因為她在圍欄裡搖搖晃晃、咬壞動物園管理員並被噴水的影片在網路上瘋傳。
Moo-Deng has captured hearts across Asia. Fans have made cakes in her image and artworks showing off her cartoonish rosy cheeks and bright eyes. One cosmetics chain even jumped on the trend, telling social media users to “wear your blush like a baby hippo” in posts promoting products in pink and peach tones. In a reflection of her growing global clout, Time magazine’s website named her an “Icon” and “Legend”, saying “She Is the Moment”.
Moo-Deng 擄獲了整個亞洲的心。粉絲們以她的形象和藝術品製作了蛋糕，展示了她卡通般的紅潤臉頰和明亮的眼睛。一家化妝品連鎖店甚至追隨這一趨勢，在推廣粉紅色和桃色產品的貼文中告訴社群媒體用戶「像小河馬一樣塗腮紅」。為了反映她日益增長的全球影響力，《時代》雜誌網站將她命名為“偶像”和“傳奇”，稱“她就是那個時刻”。
Her fame stems from a TikTok account with 2.5 million followers dedicated to the hippos and other species at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand. Hundreds of thousands of people also follow accounts documenting their daily life on Facebook and Instagram.
她的名氣源自於一個擁有 250 萬粉絲的TikTok 帳戶，該帳戶專門關注泰國春武里府 Khao Kheow 開放動物園的河馬和其他物種。數十萬人也會在Facebook和 Instagram 上追蹤記錄他們日常生活的帳號。
一名動物園工作人員在 Khao Kheow 開放動物園與 Moo Deng 玩耍照片：Chaiwat Subprasom/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock
Atthapon Nundee, 31, a zookeeper at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, said he began posting clips of animals on social media during the pandemic, when he found he had more spare time on his hands. Moo-Deng, whose name means “bouncy pork”, also the name of a Thai dish, has attracted the most attention by far.
31 歲的 Atthapon Nundee 是 Khao Kheow 開放動物園的動物園管理員，他說，在疫情期間，當他發現自己有更多空閒時間時，他開始在社群媒體上發布動物的剪輯。 Moo-Deng，名字的意思是“有彈性的豬肉”，也是泰國菜的名字，迄今為止最受關注。
“The moment I saw Moo-Deng born, I set a goal to make her famous, but I never expected it would spread abroad. I thought she could be famous in Thailand but not internationally,” he said.
「當我看到Moo-Deng出生的那一刻，我就定下了讓她出名的目標，但我沒想到它會傳到國外。我認為她可能會在泰國出名，但在國際上卻不會出名，」他說。
Tourists’ social media videos have helped her achieve fame online, but so too has her character, he said. “She is called ‘bouncy’ and she is quite ‘bouncy’ too,” Atthapon said. Her siblings are also called variations of pork dishes: her half-sister is called Moo Wan (Thai sweet pork), her other half-sister is called Pha Lor (pork belly stew), and her brother is called Moo Tun (stewed pork).
他說，遊客的社群媒體影片幫助她在網路上成名，但她的個性也是如此。 “她被稱為‘充滿活力’，而且她也非常‘充滿活力’，”Atthapon 說。她的兄弟姐妹也被稱為豬肉菜餚的變體：她同父異母的妹妹被稱為Moo Wan（泰國甜豬肉），她的另一個同父異母的妹妹被稱為Pha Lor（燉五花肉），她的兄弟被稱為Moo Tun（燉豬肉） 。
Moo-Deng照片：khamoo.andthegang/instagram
Her popularity has created a surge in visitors to the zoo, which has raised concerns about her welfare. Tourists were accused of throwing water and seashells at Moo Deng to wake her, apparently because they wanted to take photos.
她的受歡迎程度導致動物園遊客激增，這引發了人們對她健康狀況的擔憂。遊客被指控向穆登扔水和貝殼來叫醒她，顯然是因為他們想拍照。
The zoo authorities have condemned those who have tried to disturb Moo-Deng. Atthapon said CCTV has been installed and an officer is present to watch over her.
動物園當局譴責了那些試圖打擾穆登的人。阿塔蓬說，已經安裝了閉路電視，有一名官員在場監視她。
“Most of the time she is sleeping,” said Atthapon, who added her behaviour is similar to a human baby, with playful outbursts and lots of rest. “She only has milk from mom, she doesn’t eat anything else besides milk.” At two months old, she already weighs more than 20kg, and it is possible that she will begin to eat grass next month.
「大部分時間她都在睡覺，」阿塔蓬說，他補充說她的行為與人類嬰兒相似，有頑皮的爆發和大量的休息。 “她只吃媽媽的奶，除了奶之外，她不吃其他任何東西。”兩個月大的時候，她的體重已經超過了20公斤，很有可能下個月就開始吃草了。
Adult pygmy hippos also like to sleep a lot during the day. “Mostly they just sleep and soak in the water because it gets quite hot,” Atthapon said.
成年侏儒河馬也喜歡在白天睡覺。 「大多數時候，它們只是睡覺並泡在水里，因為水很熱，」阿塔蓬說。
Pygmy hippos are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. A 1993 study suggested there were between 2,000 to 2,5000 pygmy hippos remaining in the wild. They are native to West Africa, where they live in swamps and near rivers, but are threatened by habitat loss due to human activities such as logging, mining, as well as hunting.
侏儒河馬在世界自然保護聯盟紅色名錄中被列為瀕危物種。 1993 年的一項研究表明，野外尚存 2,000 至 2,5000 隻侏儒河馬。它們原產於西非，生活在沼澤和河流附近，但由於伐木、採礦和狩獵等人類活動而受到棲息地喪失的威脅。
Edwin Wiek, founder of Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, questioned the need for more pygmy hippos to be kept in zoo settings, where they have already been bred successfully, saying the focus should be on keeping them in the wild. “They are very endangered, but actually, with the proper enforcement and conservation plan in the wild – leave them alone, they can do really well.”
泰國野生動物之友基金會的創始人 Edwin Wiek質疑是否需要在動物園環境中飼養更多侏儒河馬，因為它們已經在動物園中成功繁殖，並表示重點應該放在讓它們在野外飼養。 “它們非常瀕臨滅絕，但實際上，只要在野外採取適當的執法和保護計劃——別管它們，它們可以做得很好。”
Atthapon said the zoo keeps Moo-Deng and other animals as close to nature as possible, and that zoos contribute to conservation work.
阿塔蓬說，動物園讓穆登和其他動物盡可能接近大自然，動物園為保育工作做出了貢獻。
“I hope that the cuteness of Moo-Deng will raise awareness for people to come and learn about [the species],” Atthapon said.
「我希望 Moo-Deng 的可愛能提高人們的認識，讓他們來了解[這個物種]，」Atthapon 說。
