--- title: "Man Punished for Breaking Into Moo Deng’s Zoo Enclosure" description: "An intruder who hopped into zoo enclosure of Moo Deng, the beloved baby pgymy hippo, was found guilty by a Thai court." date: "2026-04-11" modified: "2026-04-11" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/science-energy/moo-deng-intruder-punished" categories: - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" --- # Man Punished for Breaking Into Moo Deng’s Zoo Enclosure ![A black and white illustration of Moo Deng, the viral pygmy hippopotamus. The hippo's skin texture is detailed, showing folds and a shiny surface. The overall style has a graphic, slightly grainy effect.]() The maniac who broke into Moo Deng's crib finally got his due. The *BBC* [reports]() that a Thai court fined a man 10,000 baht, or around $300, after he was caught entering the zoo enclosure of the baby pygmy hippo, which [became an internet sensation in 2024](). Authorities arrested the intruder last month. Security footage released by local media and widely shared online shows a man wearing a beanie, tank top, shorts, and sandals hopping into the enclosure at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo. As he films Moo Deng with a tablet, the man circles the young creature and comes within just several feet of her. According [to reports](), the man was inside the enclosure for one or two minutes before staff noticed him, and made no attempt to flee when they called the police. Moo Deng was "startled" by the encounter, the staff said, but unharmed. Now, Narongwit Chodchoy, who runs the zoo, says that a local court found the troublemaker of trespassing. The decision affirms that "no one can violate animals' rights, no matter whether they are in an enclosure or in the wild," the zoo director told *Agence France-Press*e, via the *BBC*. The intrusion, however, does mean a slight paradigm shift in zoo security. "We train staff on what to do if any animals escape, but from now on, we will have to train them on what to do if there are any intruders," Chodchoy said. "We learned from this lesson and will not allow it to happen again — not to Moo Deng and not to other animals in the zoo." The break-in is a sign of just how crazy people have gone over the irresistibly adorable baby hippo — or it's a sign of the lengths some will go to latch onto something viral to get cool clips for their Instagram. In any case, Moo Deng's star-power clearly hasn't waned. **More on beloved animals:** [*JONATHAN THE 193-YEAR-OLD TORTOISE IS STILL ALIVE, REPEAT HE HAS NOT DIED*]() ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()