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Thailand's Baby Pygmy Hippo Now Has an Official Song in 4 Languages

FILE -Two-month-old baby hippo Moo Deng and her mother Jona are seen at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand, , Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)
FILE -Two-month-old baby hippo Moo Deng and her mother Jona are seen at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand, , Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)
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Thailand's Baby Pygmy Hippo Now Has an Official Song in 4 Languages

FILE -Two-month-old baby hippo Moo Deng and her mother Jona are seen at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand, , Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)
FILE -Two-month-old baby hippo Moo Deng and her mother Jona are seen at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand, , Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

In case you can’t get enough of the little pygmy hippo Moo Deng from Thailand, there's now an official song featuring the internet's favorite baby animal — released in four languages for her global fans.
The upbeat 50-second song “Moodeng Moodeng," available in Thai, English, Chinese and Japanese versions, features simple lyrics like “Moo Deng Moo Deng, boing boing boing/ Mommy mommy, play with me.” Its music video consists of short clips of the baby hippo bouncing, playing with her keeper or hanging out with her mom Jona, The Associated Press reported.
The catchy number was produced and written by well-known Thai composer Mueanphet Ammara, and released by one of Thailand's largest music companies, GMM Music.
Moo Deng — the name literally means “bouncy pork,” a type of meatball, in Thai — became a global phenomenon just a month after she was unveiled on Facebook by the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand’s southern Chon Buri province.
Fans say her name compliments her chaotic personality. Moo Deng likes to “deng,” or bounce, and her giddy bouncing has appeared all over social media in countless memes. Her image has been used by sports teams and businesses.
The hippo, now 4 months old, has drawn a huge amount of visitors to the zoo, which is around two-hour drive away from the capital Bangkok. The zoo estimated it has received 3,000 to 5,000 visitors a day on average in the past few months, and it's selling clothes, bedding and other merchandise based on Moo Deng.
Zoo director Narongwit Chodchoi has said the increasing income from Moo Deng will help its breeding programs for many endangered species like the pygmy hippopotamus, which is threatened by poaching and loss of habitat. The species is native to West Africa and there are only 2,000-3,000 of them left in the wild.
The zoo sits on 800 hectares (almost 2,000 acres) of land and is home to more than 2,000 animals.
All four versions of the Moo Deng song are available on YouTube and streaming platforms including Spotify and Apple Music.

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Copenhagen to Offer Giveaways to Eco-friendly Tourists

Copenhagen will offer rebates at tourist sites to visitors who use bikes and pick up trash. Asger Korsgaard Jensen / Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/File
Copenhagen will offer rebates at tourist sites to visitors who use bikes and pick up trash. Asger Korsgaard Jensen / Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/File
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Copenhagen to Offer Giveaways to Eco-friendly Tourists

Copenhagen will offer rebates at tourist sites to visitors who use bikes and pick up trash. Asger Korsgaard Jensen / Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/File
Copenhagen will offer rebates at tourist sites to visitors who use bikes and pick up trash. Asger Korsgaard Jensen / Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/File

The city of Copenhagen will offer special rebates and freebies to eco-friendly tourists this summer, including free bike rentals to those arriving by train and staying more than four days.

The CopenPay initiative, which was tested on a smaller scale last year, "is about raising travelers' awareness about travelling more responsibly," Soren Tegen Pedersen, the head of the city's tourism board Wonderful Copenhagen, told AFP.

The emphasis of the initiative is on transport, a highly polluting sector.

Those who make climate-friendly and environmental choices, such as using bikes and picking up trash, will also be offered rebates at museums and tourist sites, as well as free yoga classes and vegetarian meals.

Ninety sites are participating in the campaign, including the National Museum and CopenHill, a synthetic ski slope.

The campaign, which opens on June 17 and lasts until late August, will be advertised on billboards around the city and social media.

Goboat, a hire service for electric motorboats powered by solar panels, said taking part in the initiative last year helped show its commitment to climate solutions.

"Last year, 500 people jumped at our offer of one hour of free boating in exchange for picking up trash in the waters of the port. We weren't even able to satisfy demand," company representative Mads Pilegaard Sander told AFP.

In 2024, 75,000 tourists took part in the city's one-month trial.

Bike rentals increased by 29 percent during the period, tons of trash were collected, and 98 percent of participants said they would recommend the initiative, the tourism board said.