Director of Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Narongwit Chodchoi, announced on August 6 the arrival of the zoo’s latest member—a female pygmy hippopotamus calf born on July 25. The calf’s mother, Jona, is 25 years old, and the father, Tony, is 24 years old. Both the mother and the calf are healthy, but the baby hippo has yet to be named.
To celebrate National Mother’s Day, Khao Kheow Open Zoo, an hour drive from Pattaya, invites tourists and the general public to participate in a naming contest for the pygmy hippopotamus calf. The name choices are “Moo Deng” (Bouncing Pig), “Moo Daeng” (Red Pig), or “Moo Sub” (Minced Pig). Participants have a chance to win one of ten “Kapipla-ra Pants” or one of three 46th-anniversary Kapipla-ra plush toys.
To participate, individuals can vote for their preferred name through the following link: https://forms.gle/Zmz9W7W2zTxJHEEm8. The voting period is open from today until August 12, 2024, and will close at 4:30 PM on the same day.
The zoo will randomly select the names with the most votes to win the “Kapipla-ra Pants” and the 46th-anniversary Kapipla-ra plush toys from all participants. The winners will be officially announced on Tuesday, August 20, via the zoo’s Facebook page: Khao Kheow Open Zoo.
The baby pygmy hippopotamus and her mother are in good health and are currently staying together. The zoo’s veterinarian reported that both the mother and calf are active and closely bonded, with the mother being protective and keeping a close watch to prevent zookeepers from approaching too closely.
For more information, please contact 096-9742546 or 038-318444 ext. 213.
