These days, the only joy left on the website formerly known as Twitter might be Moo Deng, the baby pygmy hippo born this July at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand.
Roly-poly and rambunctious, like a fast-moving potato on way-too-short legs, Moo Deng — whose name means “bouncy pork” — greatly entertains the Internet via video of the little hippo bothering her patient mother, taking garden-hose showers and angrily chomping on anything in sight with its budding teeth. If ever star power could be condensed into a small mammal that resembles a bug-eyed grub, Moo Deng is it.
Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we don’t have an abundance of baby pygmy hippos. But we do have a bunch of zoos and wildlife centers with their own animal celebrities. They might not be as cute or young as Moo Deng — heck, they might be 140 years older — but they’re fun and fascinating in their own special ways.
Here are seven local alternatives to Moo Deng to tide you over, until you can get the airline ticket to fly out to Thailand:
Showers is a male northern fur-seal pup rescued this September in San Luis Obispo County. The 15-pound creature is now in treatment at Marin’s Marine Mammal Center, which is feeding it a blended mixture of ground herring and “fish smoothie” until it’s healthy enough for release. “The male pup is engaging well with other fur seal penmates of similar age, although is still a little hesitant about spending time in the rehabilitation pool,” says Giancarlo Rulli, the center’s associate director of public relations.
The Marine Mammal Center, which is open Friday-Monday at 2000 Bunker Road at Fort Cronkhite in the Marin Headlands, is free to visit, but you’ll need to reserve a ticket at www.marinemammalcenter.org. Showers might not be out due to his rehabilitation, however there are TV feeds of rehab patients and views of other rescued marine mammals from the observation deck.
OJ the Aldabra tortoise is the oldest denizen of the Oakland Zoo and, though at 140-plus years, he’s lived ages longer than Moo Deng, OJ has his own charms. “OJ is the most vocal of the three large males and is especially vocal in the mornings,” says Isabella Linares, marketing manager for the Conservation Society of California. “He is often found in the nighthouse looking out the windows. We think he might like to watch the public, as Aldabra tortoises have good color vision.”
The Oakland Zoo had another contender for Moo Deng status — Briar, a rescued mountain-lion cub, but the little lion was deemed too derpy. It can’t even keep its tongue in its mouth:
Visit OJ, Briar and their animal neighbors at the Oakland Zoo, which is open daily at 9777 Golf Links Road. Ticket prices vary and must be purchased ahead at www.oaklandzoo.org.
Lord Richard is another ancient, yet magnetic creature hailing from the Lindsay Wildlife Experience in Walnut Creek. He’s a 50-year-old turkey vulture — the oldest known of his kind — and used to be considered male … until it laid an egg. Then its keepers ran a test and found it was biologically a male, so everyone’s still mystified about where that egg came from. Lord Richard has imprinted on humans and doesn’t get along well with other vultures, but he has a great time entertaining crowds on his perch by looking like something grumpy from the Hayao Miyazaki universe.
The wildlife center is open Wednesday-Sunday at 1931 First Ave. in Walnut Creek. Tickets are $15-$17; lindsaywildlife.org.
Little Mebo is a 1-year-old endangered female red panda at the San Francisco Zoo & Gardens’ Red Panda Treehouse. Little Mebo enjoys chewing on bamboo, climbing things and making friends on Instagram. Writes one fan: “She’s so adorable and so tiny!!! hi mebo!!! and her little paws.”
The zoo is open daily at the corner of Sloat Boulevard at the Great Highway in San Francisco. Tickets are $20-$31; www.sfzoo.org.
Vangy and Vaky are ring-tailed lemur brothers at San Jose’s Happy Hollow Park & Zoo. At 28 and 27 years old, they are in their golden years and living their best lives — often seen sunbathing, napping together or enjoying some of their favorite treats.
“I’d say they are generally very chill, and that is what gives them their own unique star power,” says Caitlin O’Hara, the zoo’s conservation and communications manager. “Maybe not quite Moo Deng energy, but they are very relatable and meme-able in their own way, as well as pretty darn adorable.”
Happy Hollow is open daily through October and on select days in November at 748 Story Road in San Jose. Tickets are $18; happyhollow.org.
Lumpy is a 5-foot-long Pacific gopher snake and an “animal ambassador” at the Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve, where it lives a quiet life behind glass. Gopher snakes are nonvenomous constrictors, meaning they don’t hunt by biting things, but by squeezing the life out of them. Presumably Lumpy’s name comes from the bulges it gets after eating mice. If threatened, these reptiles shake their tails like rattlesnakes, but that’s about as dangerous as they get. Fun fact: Del Valle Regional Park also has a gopher snake serving as animal ambassador, called Julius Squeezer.
The park is open daily; the visitors center is open Friday-Sunday. The center is partly under construction and Lumpy may not be visible, but is taken out during naturalist talks. Visit www.ebparks.org for more info.
