Beauty pageant contestants visited pygmy hippo superstar Moo Deng as part of the Miss Grand International 2024 competition in Thailand.

The 71 beauty queen hopefuls arrived at the Khao Keow Open Zoo in Chonburi province to see the social media darling in person on October 16.

Footage shows the ladies - wearing elephant pants and sashes that identified their nationality - taking photos of Moo Deng as she took a nap in her enclosure.

The Miss Grand International organisation had arranged for the visit to promote Thai tourism.

The young ladies will then be returning to Bangkok to prepare for the pageant. The preliminary round is scheduled on October 20, and the finals will be held on October 25.

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.