Meet ‘New Deng’: Virginia Zoo’s Latest Addition Is a Baby Pygmy Hippo—but her official name is Poppy, and she lives at Virginia’s Metro Richmond Zoo in Moseley, not The Virginia Zoo in Norfolk. Born on December 9, 2024, Poppy won an international naming vote and can now be seen at Hippo Haven with her mother, Iris.
The “New Deng” label came from the public’s comparison with Moo Deng, the viral pygmy hippo from Thailand. Poppy’s own story includes a widely followed naming campaign, a public debut, a livestream, and a reminder that pygmy hippos are endangered in the wild.
Key takeaways
- Poppy was born on December 9, 2024, at the Metro Richmond Zoo in Moseley, Virginia—not at The Virginia Zoo in Norfolk.
- The female pygmy hippopotamus received the name Poppy after winning 52.8 percent of more than 116,000 international naming votes.
- Poppy and her mother, Iris, live at Hippo Haven, where the zoo says visitors can see them on days the zoo is open.
- The zoo launched the Poppy Cam on January 13, 2025, and moved Iris and Poppy to the outdoor Hippo Haven habitat in April 2025.
- Pygmy hippos are endangered West African mammals; a widely repeated estimate of 2,000–2,500 surviving animals dates to 1993, not to a current census.
Who is the baby pygmy hippo in Virginia?
The baby pygmy hippo in Virginia is Poppy, a female born at the Metro Richmond Zoo in Moseley on December 9, 2024. Poppy was born to mother Iris and father Corwin after a seven-month gestation. The zoo announced the healthy calf’s birth on December 24, 2024, just before Christmas, in an announcement that joked: “Most people don’t get a hippopotamus for Christmas at all, so we feel lucky to have received two over the years.” Metro Richmond Zoo’s birth announcement provides the original details.
The headline nickname “New Deng” was a media reference to Moo Deng, the pygmy hippo whose viral videos from Thailand made baby pygmy hippos an international online phenomenon. “New Deng” was never Poppy’s official name. The animal in this story is also not at The Virginia Zoo in Norfolk: she is at Virginia’s Metro Richmond Zoo, a separate facility in Moseley. The zoo specifically asks writers to use “the Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia” or “Virginia’s Metro Richmond Zoo” to prevent that confusion.
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What was Poppy like as a newborn?
At five days old, Poppy weighed 15 pounds, according to the Metro Richmond Zoo’s December 2024 announcement. That figure describes her neonatal weight and should not be treated as her current weight. The zoo said Poppy was nursing and growing quickly.
Iris and Poppy initially stayed in a private, hay-bedded enclosure so mother and calf could bond. The arrangement also gave zoo staff a controlled setting in which to monitor the newborn without turning the first days of her life into a public display.
How did the Virginia baby hippo get the name Poppy?
Poppy was initially unnamed. The Metro Richmond Zoo offered four choices—Poppy, Juniper, Hammie Mae, and Omi—in a public naming campaign. Poppy later faced Hammie Mae in the runoff.
According to the Metro Richmond Zoo’s January 6, 2025 naming announcement, the final vote drew more than 116,000 votes from fans in 165 countries, and Poppy won 52.8 percent of the vote. The name was partly chosen because Poppy is a flower, matching her mother Iris’s floral name. The zoo announced the result with the words: “The votes are in, and we are thrilled to announce the winning name for our little hippo… Introducing POPPY, the pygmy hippo!”
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The campaign’s stages should not be collapsed into one statistic. An earlier poll update reported 52,794 votes in the first round and participation from more than 119 countries. Those figures describe the first round, while the larger 116,000-plus figure describes the completed campaign and its final result. The zoo’s naming-poll page records the earlier stage.
| Animal | Birth setting | Species | How the public connection began | Official name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poppy | Metro Richmond Zoo, Moseley, Virginia | Pygmy hippopotamus | Public naming campaign and media coverage | Poppy |
| Moo Deng | Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Thailand | Pygmy hippopotamus | Viral online videos and social-media attention | Moo Deng |
Poppy and Moo Deng are connected by public attention, not by any documented family relationship in the reviewed sources. Calling Poppy “Virginia’s Moo Deng” explains the cultural comparison, but it does not establish that the two animals are related.
Where can you see Poppy the pygmy hippo?
Poppy and Iris can be seen at Hippo Haven at the Metro Richmond Zoo on days the zoo is open, according to the zoo’s official Poppy animal page. The pair first made a public debut in the indoor pool area of Hippo Haven in early January 2025. In April 2025, they moved to the habitat’s outdoor area.
The zoo has also promoted the Poppy Cam, a livestream showing Iris and Poppy. The livestream launched on January 13, 2025. The same official page advertises a behind-the-scenes Poppy Pygmy Hippo Experience and official Poppy merchandise.
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Visitor hours, admission prices, encounter availability, livestream status, and merchandise inventory can change. Check the Metro Richmond Zoo’s current animal and visitor information immediately before planning a trip rather than relying on an old social-media post or a cached listing. The zoo’s press materials identify the facility at 8300 Beaver Bridge Road in Moseley, Virginia.
Is Poppy related to Moo Deng?
No verified source in the reviewed material says that Poppy and Moo Deng are related. Poppy became known as “New Deng” because Moo Deng’s popularity created a media shorthand for other charismatic baby pygmy hippos, not because the two animals share a documented family connection.
The comparison is useful only if it preserves the important differences: Poppy was born at Virginia’s Metro Richmond Zoo on December 9, 2024, while Moo Deng became famous through viral exposure at a zoo in Thailand. Both are pygmy hippos, but the available reporting does not establish a common parentage or other family link.
Why are pygmy hippos endangered?
Pygmy hippos, scientifically known as Choeropsis liberiensis, are endangered animals native to the forests and wetlands of West Africa. The IUCN SSC Hippo Specialist Group says the species occurs naturally in only four West African countries. A peer-reviewed species account also identifies the pygmy hippo as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and listed under CITES Appendix II. The IUCN SSC Hippo Specialist Group provides the regional conservation context.
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The often-repeated figure of 2,000–2,500 remaining pygmy hippos needs a date attached to it. According to the Zoological Society of London, the figure comes from a 1993 estimate, and numbers were likely to have declined since then. The figure is therefore a historical estimate—not a fresh 2026 population census or a precise count of how many pygmy hippos remain today.
Pygmy hippos face the broader pressures associated with the loss and degradation of West African forest and wetland habitat. Captive births such as Poppy’s can contribute to coordinated zoo breeding programs and help the public learn about a species that is rarely seen in the wild. Poppy should not be described as a candidate for release: the reviewed sources do not say that she will be returned to the wild. Long-term conservation also depends on protecting the species’ natural habitat and supporting work in the countries where wild pygmy hippos still occur.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does Poppy’s story tell us beyond the viral videos?
Poppy’s naming campaign shows how quickly a single zoo birth can attract attention far beyond its local audience: the final vote involved more than 116,000 people in 165 countries. That attention can make an unfamiliar species recognizable, but recognition is only useful when it leads readers back to the animal’s real identity and conservation needs.
Poppy is not simply “New Deng,” and she is not a generic internet celebrity. She is a female endangered pygmy hippo born at the Metro Richmond Zoo, the daughter of Iris and Corwin, and a member of a managed zoo population. Her public presence gives visitors a way to encounter the species, while the conservation message remains focused on coordinated breeding, public education, and protection of West African forest and wetland habitat.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Virginia baby hippo’s name?
The baby pygmy hippo is officially named Poppy. She won the Metro Richmond Zoo’s public naming vote on January 6, 2025, receiving 52.8 percent of more than 116,000 final votes.
When was Poppy the pygmy hippo born?
Poppy was born on December 9, 2024, at the Metro Richmond Zoo in Moseley, Virginia. She was not born at The Virginia Zoo in Norfolk.
Is Poppy the Virginia baby hippo related to Moo Deng?
Poppy is not documented as related to Moo Deng. “New Deng” is a media nickname inspired by Moo Deng’s viral fame, not evidence of a family connection.
Where can you see Poppy the pygmy hippo?
Visitors can see Poppy and her mother, Iris, at Hippo Haven on days the Metro Richmond Zoo is open. The zoo has also promoted the Poppy Cam livestream, but viewing status and schedules can change.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsWhy are pygmy hippos endangered?
Pygmy hippos are endangered because their West African forest and wetland habitat is under pressure. The widely cited estimate of 2,000–2,500 remaining animals comes from 1993 and is not a current population census.
The Bottom Line
The Virginia baby pygmy hippo nicknamed “New Deng” is officially Poppy. She was born at the Metro Richmond Zoo in Moseley on December 9, 2024, can be seen with her mother Iris at Hippo Haven, and represents an endangered species whose survival depends on more than viral popularity: it depends on sustained conservation and habitat protection in West Africa.
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