New Yorker traveled 30 hours just to see Moo Deng in Thailand

Everyone loves Moo Deng, but it’s rare for someone to cross the ocean for her – twice.

Molly Swindall fell in love with the baby pygmy hippo at the start of her internet fame – and made multiple trips around the world this month just to see her.

“I am absolutely in love with that shiny, moist potato,” Swindall, 30, told The Post.

“She’s fun and light-hearted,” the New Yorker said of Moo Deng, who has a penchant for biting zookeepers and engages in “moonwalking.”

“She is adorable, has a strong personality and is an absolute joy to watch.”

Swindall revealed that on her first trip on October 1, she traveled a total of 21 hours – 18½ hours of that flight – and without much time off from work. But she kept her trip short: just 30 hours in Thailand, which she said cost her between $1,000 and $1,100.

“Moo Deng is a bright spot in a time when much is unknown,” says Swindall. “People always need joy in their lives, and she brings that joy to people.”

Moo Deng became a viral sensation overnight when her keepers at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo, where she was born, started posting videos of the hippo’s funny moments.

The baby hippo has since been the focus of many memes and was even the subject of a recent skit on “Saturday Night Live.”

But seeing Moo Deng online wasn’t enough for Swindall: she had to see her in person.

“I just love animals and I love adventure, so I made it a goal to go,” Swindall told CNN. “My father passed away quite unexpectedly six years ago, and at that moment I thought, ‘You know what? I’m always going to live my life to the fullest. I will always have a sense of adventure.”

“And that’s why I decided to do what I did,” she said of her long journey to see the baby animal.

Her only destination was Moo Deng’s zoo house, and she laughed with customs officers when she told them she was only there to see the cute animal.

She documented her travels on her TikTok account, @1989vinyl, where she has 158,400 followers and 38.9 million likes.

And she can now reveal that her experience lived up to the hype.

“I saw an icon. It was incredible to see her sassy, tricky antics in real life,” Swindall told The Post. “(Moo Deng) is hysterical to watch and has so much personality.”

On this first trip, Swindall said there was no time limit on seeing the puny pygmy, so she spent about 3½ to four hours in her enclosure and was allowed to stand at the barricade to see her up close.

While Moo Deng may have been the star of the show and the sole reason Swindall made that whole trip, she also enjoyed seeing the baby hippo interact with her mother, Jona.

“Every time Jonah was too far away, Moo would run after her as fast as she could, just to be near her,” she remembers.

The animal lover not only saw Moo Deng, whose name means ‘jumpy pig’ – she also made a trip to Melbourne, Australia, less than two weeks later to witness ‘little wiggle king’ Pesto, a heart-stealing baby penguin and another recent, viral internet sensation.

And a few days after seeing Pesto, on October 11, she even traveled back to Bangkok for a second trip because she “missed Moo Deng so much.”

“I knew I wanted to see both Moo Deng and Pesto as soon as possible because they were both getting older,” Swindall told The Post.

The second time Swindall saw Moo Deng, there was a long queue to see the beloved hippo.

Swindall took a seat and waited and about 30 to 45 minutes later he was able to see her.

However, Moo Deng’s zookeeper, Benz, knew about her long-distance journey and helped her get more face time with the adorable hippo.

“He had someone ask if I was the girl traveling there. When I said yes, they let me back in for three to four cycles,” Swindall explained. “Then Benz took my phone in the case and got pictures and a cute video.

“I’m so happy I’ve been able to see her twice now.”

The trips to see the viral animals cost Swindall a few thousand dollars, she revealed, but she was lucky enough to have airline points she could use to offset some of the costs.

Swindall traveled 20 hours to visit Pesto, and for her second trip to Thailand she had already traveled all over the world, so she traveled only 9.5 hours.

In total, however, she spent a whopping 50.5 hours traveling to see the far-flung, popular couple.

Plus, she had time to explore Bangkok on her second Moo Deng trip, which was a highlight of her “magical” and “surreal” experience.

“The only thing I would change was if I could stay longer,” she wistfully told The Post of her “emotional” adventure.

“It was really sad to leave, especially when I realized that the next time I see Moo Deng, she will probably be fully grown.”

New Yorker traveled 30 hours just to see Moo Deng in Thailand

By Sheisoe

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