Edinburgh Zoo has issued a grovelling apology after welcoming a new pygmy hippo called Haggis.
The Scottish centre announced the birth of the calf on Monday, sharing a sweet video of her sniffing and interacting with staff.
On Twitter, the zoo wrote: ‘Moo Deng? Who deng? Introducing… Haggis,’ presenting Scotland’s answer to Thailand‘s viral sensation pygmy hippo.
The post soon met with controversy, as viewers joked the zoo was ‘pitting two women against each other’.
In response, the zoo quickly backed down with a statement advocating to celebrate all ‘pygmy hippo divas’ – which has now racked up 52,000 likes.
Edinburgh Zoo has issued a grovelling apology after welcoming a new pygmy hippo called Haggis (pictured)
Moo Deng, the internet sensation Thailand hippo, who went viral on social media. Pictured in September
They wrote: ‘Sorry guys, this is our official notes app apology. We were wrong to put Haggis and Moo Deng against each other.
‘There is space in this world for two beautiful pygmy hippo divas and we should celebrate them all. Sorry to Moo Deng. Let’s work it out on the remix.’
In response to the original post, people had written: ‘Why are we pitting two women against each other? SMH this industry is vile !!!’;
‘We need to stop pitting female celebrities against each other! There’s room for everybody!!’;
‘I don’t care for this, you didn’t need to take a shot at Moo Deng. Haggis wasn’t born into this world to be used a cudgel.’
The zoo has settled on the name ‘Haggis’ for the Scotland-born animal who was born last Wednesday.
She follows in the footsteps of Khao Kheow Open Zoo’s Moo Deng – but it is yet to be seen whether Haggis will amass as many fans as the Thailand inhabitant who went viral on social media over her personality and charm.
Announcing her arrival on Monday, Edinburgh Zoo said: ‘Otto and Gloria have welcomed an adorable pygmy hippo calf! She is doing well, but we’ll be keeping the hippo house closed for the time being so that our expert keepers can keep a close eye on mum and baby at this sensitive time.’
The Scottish centre announced the birth of the calf on Monday, sharing a sweet video of her sniffing and interacting with staff (pictured)
The zoo quickly backed down with a statement advocating to celebrate all ‘pygmy hippo divas’
Viewers joked the zoo was ‘pitting two women against each other’
Photo of Haggis the pygmy hippo, whose birth was happily announced by Edinburgh Zoo on Monday
The ‘incredibly rare’ animal was born at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) Edinburgh Zoo on Wednesday October 30
Jonny Appleyard, hoofstock team leader at Edinburgh Zoo, said: ‘Haggis is doing really well so far and it is amazing to see her personality beginning to shine already.
‘The first 30 days are critical for her development, so the pygmy hippo house will be closed for now to allow us to keep a close eye on mum and baby at this sensitive time.
‘While Thailand’s Moo Deng has become a viral global icon, it is important to remember that pygmy hippos are incredibly rare.
‘It is great to have our own little ambassador right here in Edinburgh to connect with our visitors and help raise awareness of the challenges the species face in the wild.’
The female calf was born on October 30.
Native to forests and swamps in West Africa, it is estimated that only 2,500 are left in the wild due to habitat loss.
Moo Deng (pictured) was born on July 10 this year and went viral on social media over her personality and charm
Shockingly, some fans of Moo Deng earlier claimed last month she was actually ‘mean’ and would become ‘dangerous’ as she grows older.
To celebrate Haggis’s arrival Edinburgh Zoo is offering people the chance to meet her, with funds raised to go towards animal care.
Moo Deng, which literally means ‘bouncy pork’ in Thai, is a type of meatball.
The sensation was born on July 10 this year to parents Jonah and Tony.
Shockingly, some fans of Moo Deng earlier claimed last month she was actually ‘mean’ and would become ‘dangerous’ as she grows older.
A viral clip uploaded by staff at the Chonburi province zoo and reposted by @ask_aubry on X shows the baby hippo ‘waking up moisturised and choosing violence’.
In the footage, Moo Deng can be seen being rinsed down with a hose by a male zookeeper in her enclosure, with her mother stood only a metre away.
Time will tell whether Haggis will match the fame of Moo Deng but it seems the Edinburgh Zoo staff adore her in any case
Moo Deng appears to react strongly to being sprayed with the water – and retaliates by charging at her handler and nipping at his leg.
The member of staff laughs while shooting content on his phone, before he attempts to pull the slippery calf away – at first, with little success.
Moo Deng is relentless as she doubles back for another mouthful, this time aiming for the handler’s back as he turns his body away from the calf’s sharp developing teeth.
In the end, the handler forces the baby hippo to retreat into nearby trees after lightly tapping her bottom with his hand.
Khao Kheow Open Zoo is located around 100km southeast of Bangkok and Moo Deng has doubled the number of visitors at the site.
The hippo’s miniature frame and podgy proportions helped inspire a fervent following.
Even the Royal Thai Embassy featured the baby hippo on its social media channels.
Fans have made artwork and cakes in her image with one cosmetics chain also telling its customers to ‘wear your blush like a baby hippo’.
Moo Deng’s fame started when zookeepers at Khao Kheow Open Zoo started posting videos of her on their TikTok account which now has 2.5million followers.
She now has dozens of Instagram and Facebook pages documenting her daily life on social media.
It emerged in September that some visitors at the zoo were filming themselves throwing objects at Moo Deng, with one even pouring water on her to wake her up.
This led to stern words being issued by the zoo’s director Narongwit Chodchoi who warned those involved could face legal consequences, adding that the treatment is not only ‘cruel’ but ‘dangerous’.
And later that month – perhaps even more surprisingly – makeup moguls across the internet began swiping their cheeks with vibrant pink and charcoal grey as they attempted to recapture the swampy look of the popular hippo.