The internet has been taken by storm by two adorable animals from opposite ends of the world: Pesto, an adolescent penguin from an aquarium in Australia, and Moo Deng, a baby pygmy hippo from Thailand.
Both animals are getting lots of love and support from the people of the internet.
Pesto, a 10-month-old King penguin, gained popularity due to his abnormal size. Usually, fully grown King Penguins weigh between 21-40 pounds, but Pesto, who isn’t even a year old yet, weighs 46 pounds. His size is due to being born to Melbourne aquariums largest and oldest penguin, Blake, Pesto’s father. The eye-catching ball of fluff was recently visited by pop icon Olivia Rodrigo in his Australia home.
Moo Deng, a Pygmy Hippo all the way from the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand, is one of the hottest celebrities right now despite being only 3 months old. She launched to fame when the zoo released a video of her eating, sleeping, and walking about her pen. Her fame can be seen everywhere, from Saturday Night Live to Sephora. However, her newfound fame isn’t entirely positive. Zookeepers have limited Moo Deng’s visitors to only see her on the weekends in 5-minute intervals in response to Moo Deng fans throwing water and other objects at the hippo.
Both of these creatures deserve the attention, love and support they are receiving, but it is critical that visitors show their adoration in a respectful way.