Woman appears to shoot slingshot at zoo where Moo Deng lives | World news

A tourist sparked outrage by firing a slingshot at animals at a zoo near where baby hippo Moo Deng is kept.

The Chinese tourist was seen brandishing the weapon while throwing items towards an enclosure at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand, on October 20.

Several tourists from the same group were seen standing next to her and laughing – apparently unaware of the dangers posed by their behavior.

Patcharida Chueakhamhod, a resident who was visiting the zoo that day to see Moo Deng, recorded the tourist as she used the slingshot.

She said: ‘The tourist was shooting at the zoo animals. At first, I didn’t believe what they were doing. I looked closely and saw that she was using a slingshot, so I booked her into evidence.

‘I didn’t want to confront them because I was alone and there was a big group of them. I don’t speak Chinese, so I think it would have been dangerous.’

A zookeeper looking after Moo Deng said the group was throwing pieces of earth and stones they had collected from the ground.

He said: ‘I was shocked at what these tourists were doing. I only saw the video of the incident after it happened. So we couldn’t catch them when this was happening.

‘Let’s write a letter to the tour company that brought these people to the zoo. They must warn future guests about their behavior. I will also submit a report to the authorities.

Moo Deng is a two-month-old pygmy hippo living at Khao Kheow Open Zoo. She was born on July 20, 2024, to her parents Tony and Jonah and was named Moo Deng, which means jumping pig, through a public vote , with more than 20 thousand people voting.

She drew crowds to the zoo after gaining popularity in September 2024 as a popular Internet meme, following popular images of her emergence online.

Her fame increased when the zoo posted photos of her on their Facebook page, showing her with funny gestures.

Due to its popularity, the number of daily visitors to the zoo doubled in early September.

The Thailand Zoological Park Organization reported that the number of tourists visiting reached 159,743, a significant increase from August’s total of 98,046.

The pygmy hippopotamus is listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List and classified on Appendix II of CITES.

Pygmy hippos are small hippos native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, mainly Liberia, with small populations in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Ivory Coast.

Khao Kheow Zoo took the decision to ban slingshots following the incident.

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