An obsessed fan of famous baby hippo Moo Deng sparked panic when she climbed into a zoo enclosure to retrieve her dropped her phone.

The female tourist was recording the animal star when she lost grip of her handset. CCTV shows her scaling a fence to pick and jumping down to get her iPhone before quickly escaping.

The woman allegedly ignored zoo warnings to stay out of the hippo's home due to the increase in visitors around the exhibition area in Chonburi, Thailand, on October 7 afternoon.

While she was out within 20 seconds, the zoogoer caused concern among other visitors and the incident was reported to the Khao Kheow Open Zoo staff.

An onlooker said: ‘She was Thai. I am not sure if she dropped her phone or did it on purpose. There are regular announcements over speaker warning us to never enter the enclosure if we drop something.'

Moo Deng is a two-month-old pygmy hippopotamus living at Khao Kheow Open Zoo. She was born on July 20, 2024, to her parents Tony and Jonah and was named Moo Deng, which means bouncy pig, through a public poll, with more than 20,000 people voting.

She drew crowds to the zoo after gaining popularity in September 2024 as a popular internet meme, following trending images of her emerging online.

Her fame surged when the zoo posted pictures of her on its Facebook page, showcasing her in funny gestures.

Due to her popularity, the number of daily visitors to the zoo doubled in early September.
The Zoological Park Organization of Thailand reported that the number of tourists visiting reached 159,743, a significant increase from August's total of 98,046.

The pygmy hippopotamus is listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List and is classified under Appendix II of CITES.

Pygmy hippos are small hippopotamids native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, primarily in Liberia, with small populations in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ivory Coast.