⁠ ⁠“Watch out Moo Deng” — Internet reacts as Virginia Zoo reveals December-born baby pygmy hippo’s name

Virginia Zoo announced the name of the December-born baby pygmy hippo as "Poppy," to which the internet reacted by saying, "Watch out, Moo Deng," referring to the social media fame baby pygmy hippo from Thailand.

The Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia had officially announced the name of the baby pygmy hippo born on December 9, 2024. This came after the zoo launched an online poll to determine its name, with names like Poppy, Omi, Juniper, and Hammie Mae.

In the second round, it was between the names Poppy and Hammie Mae in which over 116,000 participants from 165 countries took part in this process. In the end, the name Poppy stood out and was announced as the name of the hippo calf. Poppy secured 52.8% votes, Poppy, meaning flower which is a nod to her mother's floral name Iris.

The Internet's reaction to this was wholesome; one user commented:

"Watch out Moo Deng, meet America’s cute baby hippo. $POPPY is her name."

Others also chimed in, saying:

"PRINCESS POPPY'S REIGN IS HERE."

"A beautiful baby! With a wonderful name!"-commented another.

"congrats on a successful naming campaingn, ready to meet little $poppy! Sad hammie mae didn't win but it's all good!!"- congratulated another.

"Poppy! I *love* Poppy!!!"-claimed another user.

The internet has embraced Poppy, a baby pygmy hippo from the Metro Richmond Zoo, with love and enthusiasm. People have compared her to Moo Deng, another baby pygmy hippo from Thailand who took over social media a few months back. Poppy is expected to follow in the footsteps of Moo Deng, from becoming a quick sensation to going viral to picking her name through polls.

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More about Poppy

Iris gave birth to Poppy in the enclosure's pool on Christmas Eve. The pygmy hippos can give birth on land or in water. She weighed a healthy 15 pounds at birth and bonded with her mother right away. Poppy's birth marks a significant milestone as Poppy's parents, Iris and Corwin, have received three calves in the last four and a half years. Poppy joins her sisters, Violet and Petunia, keeping the floral-themed family names.

The birth of Poppy serves as a reminder of how important captive breeding initiatives are to the preservation of species, as less than 2,500 adult pygmy hippos are surviving in the wild, making them an endangered species. Director Jim Andelin spoke on The Today Show, saying:

"We hope the people will learn more about this species as well as other species."

Poppy made her official zoo debut on January 3, 2025. With her growing fanbase, she is surely set to become a social media icon. Poppy, along with Moo Deng and other famous pygmy hippos, would represent their species, helping to raise awareness to protect endangered animals.