Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chon Buri province has assured Moo Deng’s fans that a tourist did not drop the piece of tissue paper she was seen chewing on in her enclosure - a monkey did it.
A video of Moo Deng posted online showed her sniffing and biting the piece of tissue, which led to worries it could be dangerous to her health if she ate it.
According to the post, some people said a visitor had dropped the rubbish into the young pygmy hippo's enclosure. They asked the zoo to check the camera there to identify who it was.
In response, the Khamoo and the Gang's Facebook page said that camera recordings showed a monkey dropping the paper while clinging to the enclosure's fence.
A caretaker disposed of the tissue paper shortly after it was noticed. Moo Deng just chewed it a bit, and did not swallow, Moo Deng's keeper Atthapon "Benz" Nundee said.
Moo Deng sniffs at a piece of tissue paper dropped into her enclosure by a monkey at Khao Kheow Open Zoo. (Photo: screenshot)
Zoo director Narongwit Chodchoy asked visitors to dispose of their trash properly in the bins that the zoo provides, to prevent animals collecting it.
The celebrity hippo is now five months old as of Tuesday, Dec 10.