Man arrested after sneaking into viral pygmy hippo Moo Deng's enclosure; shocking incident caught on cam - Watch

Bangkok: A Thai man was put behind bars after he was caught sneaking into Moo Deng's enclosure, the irresistibly cute pygmy hippo, who became a social media sensation. A video of the incident which is now all over social media, showed the man wearing approaching the pygmy hippo and his mother Jona, taking photos.

The man allegedly entered the enclosure on Tuesday evening (local time) while a keeper was away and no other visitors were around, the Khao Kheow Open Zoo’s Director Narongwit Chodchoy told The Associated Press.

One social media post alleged that the man is a Thai content creator.

The Khao Kheow Open Zoo, which is about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Bangkok, sits on 800 hectares (almost 2,000 acres) of land and is home to more than 2,000 animals.

Since then, Moo Den has drawn large crowds from Thailand and beyond – who wanted to witness her charm in person and shoot photos and videos of her cute moments for themselves.

The man who was arrested, has now been released on bail, zoo director Narongwit said. He said Moo Deng and Jona were safe as the man did not try to touch them.

In a statement posted Tuesday on the zoo’s official Facebook page, it said both animals appeared slightly startled by the encounter and would be monitored closely by a veterinarian.

The zoo also urged visitors to “strictly follow all rules and instructions from staff for the safety of both themselves and the wildlife.”