In a world of social media trends where a 10 second video can spark global fanfare, a new wave of zoo celebrities has emerged from Thailand all the way to Australia. Animals like Moo Deng, Pesto and Haggis have captivated millions by just being themselves in their enclosures. For the vast majority of people, going on a trip to the zoo will be their only chance of seeing these cute individuals, which has resulted in record breaking crowds being drawn into these respective zoos. However, while zoos try to maintain ideal conditions for their inhabitants, their main goal is to maximise their revenue as they are for-profit enterprises. Therefore, we must ask: What happens when the camera stops rolling? Are these internet sensations promoting conservation or are they merely pawns in a game of entertainment driven commerce?

Moo Deng, meaning bouncy pork, first rose to internet stardom when her keeper at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand introduced the world to her giddy frolics. At just a couple of months old she became the face of many memes and a cryptocurrency token that is currently on the stock market. Moo Deng has reached the hearts of people across the globe, with the zoo director even beginning the process of patenting her name. Moreover, the zoo has released Moo Deng merch, further profiting off of the baby hippo. However, it is believed that this money is going to a good cause; pygmy hippos are an endangered species with only 2,000-2,500 individuals remaining, meaning the species is part of the IUCN Red List of endangered species. Because of this, the zoo is utilizing the money to further fund breeding programs for Pygmy hippos – as well as other endangered species within their zoo – which shows that zoos not only profit off of their endangered animals, but desire to genuinely help these animals. These breeding programs also exist in other countries with Scotland having their very own ‘Moo Deng’ called Haggis, which has vastly increased the revenue of the Edinburgh Zoo in a similar fashion to Thailand. Due to the rareness of this event, Khao Kheow Open Zoo has experienced an increase in visitors from around 800 to 4,000 on a weekday and 10,000 on a weekend which has resulted in their revenue from admission fees quadrupling to around £445,712 in September alone. This increase in visitors has opened up the opportunity of educating the public about the vulnerable nature of the species, making people more aware of the ways in which they can help. However, the popularity of Moo Deng has also bred negative consequences with people attacking her by throwing objects and water. The zoo responded very quickly by reducing her public time to just 5 minutes on the weekend and threatening legal action against anyone harming her, opting instead to introduce a 24/7 livestream of her enclosure rather than removing her from the spotlight. This poses the question: What is more important to the zoo–the welfare of Moo Deng or the revenue she brings to them? The events have also sparked outrage from animal rights group PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) who have accused the zoo of exploiting the Pygmy hippo.

Moo Deng’s fame highlights the tension between the ethical responsibilities of zoos and the commercial opportunities they seize. This problem is not unique to Moo Deng; zoos worldwide want to find their own ‘Moo Deng’ with many animal superstars popping up all over the globe, another example being Pesto the penguin

Pesto – a king penguin chick from Melbourne, Australia – is a fluffy penguin whose appearance and sociable antics have captured hearts globally. Unlike Pygmy hippos, King penguins are categorised as least concern to the IUCN. Yet, Pesto’s fame presents an opportunity to raise awareness about marine conservation issues affecting penguins such as overfishing and climate change. The public was drawn to Pesto as he is the biggest chick the aquarium has ever seen with big fluffy feathers, earning him the title “absolute unit”. But now, Pesto has lost almost all of his feathers; will he then lose all of his groupies as a result?

The rise of superstars like Moo Deng, Pesto and Haggis highlight a broader debate about the role of zoos in conservation, and how zoos should be stepping up to further protect the animals with the rapid increase in visitors. This ethical dilemma deepens when considering the root cause of species endangerment – human activity – with our actions having detrimental consequences to animal habitats. While zoos can play a role in educating the public and funding conservation movements, critics like the animal philosopher Dale Jamieson argue that zoos primarily serve to alleviate human guilt, further emphasising how we must look beyond the surface and question how our attention and money can be utilized to create meaningful change. Zoos have a responsibility to harness the power of social media not just for profit, but for education and conservation.