Most famous zoo animals around the world

Zoo animals deserve our love, or they might escape their enclosures and find their way to Madagascar and meet a company of dancing lemurs. Following the hype around Moo Deng, here are some other famous zoo animals around the world.

Growing up, it’s hard to miss the zoo. The zoo was part of our field trip programme as kids, maybe dates as teenagers, and you might bring your kids there some day. It’s a way of getting to know many animal species across the globe, and learn more about the world that we live in. Some zoo animals, for better or for worse, become famous and get many visitors per day. Moo Deng is one good recent example.

What about the other famous zoo animals abroad? Here are some of the most prominent from all over.

[Hero image credit: Khao Kheow Open Zoo/Facebook]

Famous zoo animals around the world, including Moo Deng and Lin Bing

Moo Deng, pygmy hippopotamus

Location: Khao Kheow Open Zoo

Born in July 2024, Moo Deng’s name was chosen through a public poll — the name translating to “bouncy pork.” Moo Deng’s antics in photo form were first posted on Khao Kheow Open Zoo’s Facebook page, and hit mainstream virality all over social media globally, featured on Time Magazine, CNN, and more. Due to her viral sensation, Moo Deng single-footedly doubled the zoo’s number of visitors and prompted the zoo to put up many security measures to deter harassing visitors.

Lin Bing, giant panda

Location: Chiang Mai Zoo

Lin Bing is born from parents who were then-stars of Chiang Mai Zoo, Lin Hui and Chuang Chuang. The news of the birth of a baby panda from two already beloved pandas spread like wildfire, and her name was chosen from a nationwide poll with 22 million votes. She gained so much popularity she had a spot on a TrueVisions channel, became an intro of a popular morning news programme, and got the zoo to spend THB 60 million for the enclosure needed for her in Chiang Mai — or else she would get sent back to China. Lin Bing is probably the first-ever nepo baby of famous zoo animals.

Joey, sea otter

Location: Vancouver Aquarium

2020 was during the pandemic, and our gloomy days were brightened by the story of Joey, the sea otter. Joey was rescued at 10 days old, after he was crying over his dead mum, and was found by animal rescuers. After he was nurtured with expert care, he went on to become a Youtube star as the world watched him play and get groomed via livestream. He was announced to join his friends at the sea otter enclosure at Vancouver Aquarium after learning to swim, and has been visited by fans ever since then.

Major General Sir Nils Olav III, Baron of the Bouvet Islands, king penguin

Location: Edinburgh Zoo

The story goes: a lieutenant in the Norwegian King’s Guard visited the Edinburgh Military Tattoo of 1961, loved the penguins there so much that he adopted one and gave it the rank of lance corporal. Every time the King’s Guard would visit, he would go up by one rank. By 2005, he was colonel-in-chief, and a bronze statue of Sir Nils Olav was erected at the King’s Guard compound at Huseby, Oslo. Sir Nils Olav II took his place after Sir Nils Olav I died, and received a knighthood approved by King Harald V. Sir Nils Olav III soon took over and was promoted to major general in 2023, recognised by the Guinness World Records as the highest-ranking penguin.

Sir Nils Olav III has outranked the lieutenant in the end, who died in 2020.

Harambe, western lowland gorilla

Location: formerly Cincinnati Zoo

Harambe is the undisputed meme king of the animal kingdom. In 2016, a young boy climbed into the gorilla enclosure, resulting in a zoo keeper having to shoot and kill Harambe. The video of the incident went viral, several candlelight vigils took place to honour Harambe’s death, and the internet erupted in remembrance for the fallen gorilla. American Rapper released the song Harambe included within his 2016 album, and Harambe found his way into many social media platforms through memes. He was even nominated posthumously in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, to which he gained 5% support from voters (even ahead of Green Party nominee Jill Stein).

Diego, Hood Island giant tortoise

Location: Española Island

In 1976, a captive breeding effort was made for Hood Island tortoises, a critically-endangered breed of tortoises with only a known surviving population of 15. Sent from San Diego Zoo as part of the breeding programme, Diego is found to be one of only two males suitable for breeding. By the time the programme ended in 2020, he had fathered over 900 offspring, named the tortoise hero that saved his specie from extinction, and had his place in The New York Times, BBC News, Smithsonian Magazine, and more. Diego is now retired and living his life in the wilds of Española Island.

Paul, octopus

Location: formerly SEA LIFE Oberhausen

Paul, also known as Die Krake Paul, was the octopus oracle specialising in football matches. His keepers in Oberhausen, Germany, had him predict outcomes of international matches by presenting him with two boxes of food, each with a flag of the team competing. Whichever Paul ate first would be him predicting who won. His portfolio includes correctly choosing the winning team in four matches of the German team in the 2008 Euro, predicting the outcomes of all matches Germany participated in in the 2010 World Cup, and successfully predicting Spain as the winner of the 2010 FIFA World Cup final. He received worldwide attention as an oracle, and died peacefully of old age in 2010.

Fiona, hippopotamus

Location: Cincinnati Zoo

Born six weeks prematurely in 2017, Fiona’s name was determined by zoo staff after the protagonist from the Shrek franchise. She was introduced to social media around seven months after she was born, and the internet fell in love with the hippo. She has a children’s book called Saving Fiona by Zoo Director Thane Maynard, and two more books written by Illustrator Richard Cowdrey. She appeared in Cincinnati Ballet’s 2018 production of Nutcracker, became a topic of conversation on Jimmy Fallon, and has her own mural in downtown Cincinnati.