Before Moo Deng, There Was ‘William Johnson Hippopotamus’

Ever since she was born at Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo in July 2024, Moo Deng, the pygmy hippopotamus, has captured public imagination, with visitors to her home quadrupling since her birth. She has also raised the profile of her species, the lesser-known—and more endangered—sheep-sized cousin of the common hippo. But Moo Deng was not the first mini hippo to become a major celebrity. “Baby Hippo for Coolidge is Coming From Liberia,” the New York Times announced in May 1927. U.S. President Calvin Coolidge and his wife, Grace, were avowed…

This content is for Member members only.
Log In Register