There is no shortage of cute baby animals around the world, you just have to know where to look. If you are chronically online on TikTok, you must have seen Moo Deng or even the “Rotund Table” of baby animals dominating your feed.
Other than Moo Deng, many other baby animals have found fame on TikTok, so here’s a list of them from around the globe we have deemed worthy to join Moo Deng’s gang.
Table of Contents
Image credit: @immoodeng via Instagram
If you’re not living under a rock, you should be well acquainted with Moo Deng, the baby Pygmy hippo. Moo Deng’s name directly translates to “bouncy pork” in Thai and she has 2 siblings – Moo Toon, meaning “stewed pork”, and Moo Waan, meaning “sweet pork”.
They all live at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Si Racha, Chonburi, Thailand, where fans all over the world have flocked to to meet this icon.
Now, as to why she became Internet famous. Moo Deng is known for her chaotic behaviour and unphotogenic nature with most pictures taken of her being either blurred or with her mouth wide open as if she is screaming.
From all her viral videos, it is clear that Moo Deng is a chomper who playfully bites her caregiver’s legs as a sign of protest against baths. And while she might not enjoy baths, she loves a good face massage.
Sadly, there are no more live streams to watch this lil hippo in action. But we’d highly recommend checking out the existing videos and memes for a dose of humour and overload of cuteness.
Moo Deng is not alone in having captured the hearts of people around the world. Here we’ve compiled a list of other adorable creatures that we’d happily hop on a plane to visit.
Hua Hua is a Giant panda born in the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.
While she is famous for taking the longest time of over 2 years to graduate from Panda Kindergarten, she’s also known for her onigiri or Japanese rice ball-shaped body.
You can’t blame her, though, as it’s due to some developmental delays she has, which makes her smaller and slower than her peers.
Hua Hua is very demure and girly, and is seemingly unfazed when her food used to get stolen by her bigger companions from right between her paws. She has since learned how to politely gesture them away, protecting her food.
How to get here:
To see Hua Hua in action, hop on a discounted 4.5-hour direct flight from Singapore to Chengdu. Then book a 50-minute ride from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.
Image credit: SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium
Hear yee hear yee, welcoming King penguin, Pesto who is an absolute unit at 22kg. Note that the average mass for King penguins is between 9.3kg to 18kg and that Pesto is just a baby.
Despite being bigger and taller than his mother, Pesto is still a mama’s boy who follows his mommy everywhere she goes. To maintain his impressive figure, he devours 25 fishes a day, though he is expected to slim down once his big boy feathers start developing.
Born in SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium, Australia, this penguin is such a celeb that even singers like Katy Perry and Olivia Rodrigo travelled all the way there to visit Pesto.
You can see more of Pesto on SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium’s TikTok.
How to get here:
To meet this celebrity penguin, you’ll have to take a roughly 7.5-hour flight from Singapore to Melbourne, followed by a 30-minute car ride to SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium.
Biscuits, the harbour seal, became an overnight sensation after a video of her looking sad was posted on TikTok. She had separated from her mother and was rescued near the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club on 2nd August 2024 by VA Marine Mammal Rescue Society in Vancouver, Canada where she currently lives.
Image credit: Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre
Biscuits has a sweet yet sassy personality, and from what we’ve seen, she loves to pose upright for everyone to see.
You can catch a glimpse of Biscuits and her fellow rescued ocean friends on Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society’s TikTok.
Image credit: @wildwestwildlife via Instagram
Known for always wearing baby grippy socks – no, they aren’t for pilates -, Cinder’s life has been a rough one. This poor baby girl was spotted by forestry workers, who rescued her and took her to Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center to get treatment after a wildfire at Lake Meredith, Texas, USA left her weak, with trouble breathing, and horribly burnt.
Due to her injuries, Cinder wears grip socks that help her get around while recovering from her burns. She’s come a long way from then and is not only healing well but also has a great appetite.
You can stay updated about Cinder’s recovery on Wild West Wildlife RC’s Instagram.
Little MEBO is an endangered young female red panda who now lives in the San Francisco Zoo & Gardens after being flown in from Memphis as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan for Red Pandas.
This is a cheeky and curious little one who loves to poke her head out to check out her surroundings and of course, snack on bamboo.
You can see more of Little MEBO on San Francisco Zoo’s Instagram.
How to get here:
To get to San Francisco Zoo, you’d have to take a long 15.5-hour direct flight from Singapore to San Francisco, followed by a 20-minute cab ride to the zoo.
Get ready for some cuteness overload when you see Willow, the snow leopard from Como Park Zoo in Minnesota, USA.
Willow is a sweet cub that was born blind due to a condition, Coloboma, which causes structural abnormalities in her eyes – common in snow leopards.
Despite her inability to see, brave little Willow actively explores her habitat and learns how to navigate around with her keen sense of smell.
Occasionally, you can find videos of Willow on Como Park Zoo & Conservatory’s TikTok.
How to get here:
You can meet Willow in person by taking a 20-hour connecting flight from Singapore to Minnesota, where you’ll then have to take a 3-hour car ride to Como Park Zoo & Conservatory.
Image credit: Newhouse Wildlife Rescue
Popular since being rescued, Nibi the beaver is well-loved by the team and visitors of Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Massachusetts.
This sassy diva first tasted fame after a video of her moving her stick stash in protest of having a roommate went viral. More recently, Nibi’s near release into the wild by the state agency was covered by news channels and was the talk of the town.
Image credit: @newhousewildliferescue via Instagram
However, after much persuasion from her caregivers, fans, and even the governor, Nibi has secured her spot in the rescue centre for life. This was after consideration that since she was rescued as a baby with no beaver parental figures, she would not be able to survive the upcoming winter on her own if released.
Relieved Nibi fans can see more of Nibi on Newhouse Wildlife Rescue’s Instagram.
Born in Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Garden Nagoya, Japan, we have the adorable Monaka. Monaka the baby koala is best known for his incredibly white and cute tushy.
Being a baby and all, he loves taking piggyback rides on his mommy’s back as she wanders around the trees and relaxes.
Another cute thing about Monaka is that when he lays on branches, you might mistake him for a furry starfish or even a snack.
How to get here:
To visit Monaka, you can take a 6.5-hour direct flight from Singapore to Nagoya, followed by a 25-minute cab ride to Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Garden.
Image adapted from: @ralphranchnz via TikTok
Harry is a baby highland cow living in Ralph Ranch, New Zealand with his herd. He has super fluffy fur and always has a smile on his face.
Harry’s favourite part of the day is receiving his daily neck scratches as well as grazing the greens with his homies. He also likes to stick his tongue out just to be goofy.
Image credit: @neiltheseal22 via Instagram
Count yourself lucky if Neil the Seal has graced your “For You Page” on TikTok. This Southern Elephant Seal is a thick boy who loves roaming around Tasmania, Australia. Neil is notorious for wandering around and chilling on roads, making sure he is in the perfect spot to disrupt traffic.
Thankfully, Tassies are well acquainted with this friendly giant and when he is too lazy to make it across the road fully, they corner off the area to ensure his safety.
You can see the latest Neil the Seal spottings on his very own Instagram account.
Image credit: @qizai_pandaoficial via Instagram
Qi Zai is no ordinary panda as he is the one and only brown panda in captivity, as well as one of the few ever spotted in recorded history. He was first rescued by Shaanxi Rare Wildlife Rescue Center in 2009 after he was found abandoned as a cub.
Now, he lives at Louguantai Wild Animal Breeding and Protection Center in Xi’an.
His brown and white coat has led him to be known as the chocolate panda, resembling what a delicious white and milk chocolate panda would look like.
Even though he is a cutie patootie, Qi Zai is a ladies’ man and is not picky when choosing a mate. He’s definitely a certified loverboy who you can catch admiring his wife in the next-door enclosure.
When it comes to male pandas, however, let’s just say he is not very fond of them.
How to get here:
To visit Qi Zai, you can take a 5.5-hour direct flight from Singapore to Xi’an, followed by a 1.5-hour drive to Louguantai Wild Animal Breeding and Protection Center.
This list of cute baby animals is bound to grow by the day. While they help to bring more awareness to animal conservation and more visitors to zoos, it is important to be respectful to the animals and the staff caring for them.
Places to meet adorable animals in Singapore:
Cover image adapted from: @immoodeng via Instagram, Como Park Zoo & Conservatory via Facebook, Newhouse Wildlife Rescue
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