Moo Deng, the bouncy baby pygmy hippo that took pop culture by storm, has put eastern Thailand's Khao Kheow Open Zoo on the map, even prompting the facility to build and expand roadways to accommodate the influx of international visitors.

A late September video shot inside months-old Moo Deng’s enclosure within Thailand’s Chonburi zoo showed the feisty female coming at her caretaker, while he was attempting to hose her down. Although tiny, the dense but cute beast managed to push the grown man — while latching onto his leg and refusing to let go.

The zoo defended its care for Moo Deng, arguing the baby hippo receives the best possible care and is part of a conservation programme Thailand has dismissed as outdated, animal rights group Peta's accusations that an internet-famous female baby pygmy hippo "faces a lifetime of confinement" at a local zoo cashing in on the mammal's stardom.