Is it hip-tocurrency?
Moo Deng, the baby hippo who captivated the world this year, now has a billionaire benefactor.
Canadian cryptocurrency tycoon Vitalik Buterin donated more than $290,000 to her zoo in Thailand so he could be her “adoptive father,” Viral Press reported.
“I look forward to seeing Moo Deng live long and prosper,” Buterin, who co-founded Ethereum, stated in a letter to the director of the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, where the 5-month-old pygmy hippo. resides
Buterin made the generous contribution of 10,000,000 baht (about $293,000), facilitated through the zoo’s Wildlife Sponsorship Program, following a visit to Moo Deng’s paddock last month. He was inspired to do so after being impressed by Khao Kheow’s commitment to animal welfare, education and outreach, the Straits Times reported.
The moula world share will go towards improving Moo Deng’s closure, among other improvements.
“I was particularly excited to hear your plans for improvements to the zoo itself, particularly the proposal to improve the Pygmy Hippo habitat,” Buterin wrote in the letter. “I am pleased to accept your invitation to become Moo Deng’s foster father as she grows up and to donate to the zoo on her behalf.
Khao Kheow Open Zoo was touched by the crypto king’s kind gesture.
“We look forward to working with you over the next two years for the benefit of the Khao Kheow Open Zoo community and all our visitors!” Representatives of the zoo wrote in a statement on Facebook.
Buterin also billed the contribution as a gesture of thanks to Thailand, which has hosted a series of events organized by the Ethereum community in recent months, culminating in the hugely successful Devcon Sea conference for blockchain enthusiasts in November.
“What better way to do that (say thank you) than through a Christmas present for someone who is beloved by all Thai people, Moo Deng, and who has become one of the most unexpected and important characters Thai on the world stage,” the jetsetter stated in correspondence.
Born on July 20, 2024, Moo Deng – which means “jumping pig” in Thai – has garnered millions of fans and memes on social media for her cute and charmingly clumsy antics.
They include swallowing her retainer with her toothless needle, unsuccessfully trying to initiate play with her stoic mother, and even doing an impromptu moonwalk like Michael Jackson.
The tube sensation has seen visitors flock to the zoo in droves, rising from 98,046 in August to 159,743 in September.
Meanwhile, New Yorker Molly Swindall became so enamored with Moo Deng’s antics that she made multiple trips around the world within a month to visit him.
“I’m absolutely in love with that shiny, wet potato,” Swindall, 30, previously told The Post.
The pygmy hippopotamus is native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, mainly in Liberia, with small pockets in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Ivory Coast.
It is listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List.
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Image Source : nypost.com