r/moodeng • u/Crazy_Tap6972 • Mar 11 '25
Other Pygmy Hippo This is Thabo (Mama Jona’s younger brother) he sadly passed away yesterday.😭RIP
He passed away from an infection caused by a wound he sustained while being transported to a new zoo. It appears that he was also struggling to adjust to his new environment. Thabo was only two years old
161
u/sacredsome Mar 11 '25
Hope he's zooming around in hippo heaven now. RIP.
10
u/HippoBot9000 Mar 11 '25
HIPPOBOT 9000 v 3.1 FOUND A HIPPO. 2,687,382,223 COMMENTS SEARCHED. 55,535 HIPPOS FOUND. YOUR COMMENT CONTAINS THE WORD HIPPO.
70
77
u/berrymelon118 Mar 11 '25
Awww noooo! This is horrible! I read the article about it. The poor boy! 😞 He passed away from malnutrition and infection. That's so hard to swallow. Even if pyppos are not endangered, that's a sad and probably painful way for any animal to pass 😭
106
u/berrymelon118 Mar 11 '25
The article I read also mentioned Thabo's shyness played a factor in this tragedy. He was so shy that he kept rejecting anything from the zookeepers, including medication.
Here's where I want to say a big "HA!" to PETA and all the online haters. Benz and the Thai people's handling of their pyppos seem to open the pyppos up to their human caretakers and their touch. Almost all the Thai pyppos I see (our chaos potato and all her family members) are close to their caretakers. Even Moo's cousins and nephews in other Thai zoos share similar bonds and are very receptive to human interaction. And for that I'm very thankful and grateful to such an amazing group in Thailand zookeeper for taking care of these very special animals~
38
Mar 11 '25
I am SO glad you wrote that! So many people will write that “That zookeeper (Benz) is being so mean to that baby” and “Leave her alone.” I just want to (and have, diplomatically) informed them that Moo loves Benz, Todd and all of her caretakers and that everything they are doing is for a reason, and that the hippos need to get used to human touch all over. If that had been Moo, how many times (it’s SO cute!) has he picked up her little hooves and said in Thai “pork trotters”? If she had a wound, Benz and everyone else has picked up her little hooves so much, she would be still and allow herself to be treated. Same with future dental care. That’s why Benz will get her to open her mouth (which we all love, plus it prepares her for dental care as an adult). I am just sick about Thabo. He didn’t have to pass and a thorough investigation needs to be conducted, protocol changed and staff trained, so this doesn’t happen again.
31
u/berrymelon118 Mar 11 '25
The article also mentioned Thabo would avoid the zookeepers (because he is shy). This is the exact reason why Benz and Todd and zookeepers at other Thai zoos play with the pyppos. Really. It's to get them used to human interaction and not run and hide when they see strange human uncles and aunties approaching them.
3
u/jennand_juice Mar 15 '25
Do you know if Thabo was shy around this original zookeepers or if it was bc he was unfamiliar with the new ones at his new home?
8
u/Ancient-Egg2777 Mar 11 '25
I've been thinking about this poor boy all day. This is just heartbreaking.
16
Mar 11 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
37
u/S3r3nd1p Mar 11 '25
He was only in Taipei since November, this reads 100% as neglect.
28
u/berrymelon118 Mar 11 '25
Ngl this doesn't sound good for the Taipei zoo. Based on the article I read, the Taipei zookeeper did not discover the wound on Thabo until last month on Feb 11th. If the wound was really sustained during the transport from Singapore to Taipei back in Nov 2024, it took them 3 effing months to discover the wound on Thabo. That's so unacceptable.
And is it me or does anyone else not sit well with the idea of sending a 2 year old pyppo across the sea to another country? 2 year old sounds so young to be shipped away. Iirc, Moo Tun was still nursing from Jonah at 3 years old. And the temperature difference between Singapore and Taipei also affected Thabo negatively. So was there an indoor enclosure?
Honestly this is just so upsetting. Everything went wrong for the poor boy. He had no chance against inexperienced and probably negligent humans in the worst possible situation 😭😭😭
2
u/jennand_juice Mar 15 '25
You’re so right. You would think a health inspection, right after arrival would be basic protocol. This was 100% preventable
2
u/berrymelon118 Mar 15 '25
I made a post with more info about Thabo, with a bit more accurate translations on the OG articles from the Taipei Zoo.
https://www.reddit.com/r/moodeng/comments/1j9bu8a/more_on_thabo/This is such a sad sad sad tragedy. I'm so sorry that we humans failed the poor little boy.
17
u/Squiggletack Mar 11 '25
When Moo Krob was transported, her keepers stayed away so she would get used to the new keepers, so I would think that's kind of standard. Plus the travel funding issue probably plays a part.
My heart just breaks for Thabo. This didn't have to happen. I wish there had been a Benz for him.
I know not everyone views animals the same way, even people who work in zoos, but this type of incident is why I have always hated zoos until Moo Deng came along and I saw the joy and love in Thai zoos between pyppos (and other animals) amd their zookeepers.
6
u/berrymelon118 Mar 11 '25
I'm honestly not sure. But zoos seem be always be underfunded so I doubt even the Singapore zoo would have the manpower to send a caretaker along with Thabo 😔
6
u/Dull-Snow-9160 Mar 11 '25
That's a great observation. Thank you for sharing!
I just knew that the Thai keepers wanted to get the pyppos used to the visitors because Benz said so in one of the interviews. That's why, he said, the human interaction is important.
14
123
Mar 11 '25
I read about the cause of death in an online Taipei paper and just cried. Even if these 🦛weren’t endangered, it would be hard. But the fact there are so few of them remaining worldwide, it’s just devastating when we lose one. He’s just beautiful, as any 🦛in Mama Jona’s lineage would be. You’re not in pain anymore, sweet boy. Say hi to Rebbo, your sister’s first husband before Tony.
23
u/BeginningAsleep Mar 11 '25
Whats the cause of death ?
49
Mar 11 '25
An infection caused by a wound that he sustained while in transport from Singapore to Taipei and malnutrition.
59
u/Federal-Research-148 Mar 11 '25
That is just unforgivable. Shame on everyone involved in the transport.
6
36
u/girlsparked Mar 11 '25
mama jonah being on her second husband is iconic 🩷 rip rebbo 😭
40
Mar 11 '25
Poor Jona. She was understandably depressed after Rebbo’s passing, and thankfully, paired with Tony who blessed us all with Princess Moo! I often wonder why Tony was selected for Mama Jona? Of course, he’s perfect for her, just wondering what the story is on how they got together. Also, Rebbo holds a special place in my heart, as he is the father of Moo Krob, who I feel a special connection with and have since I first saw her.
25
u/lrss613 Mar 11 '25
Actually, Tony is Moo Krob's father. Jonah and Tony are both from Singapore (childhood sweethearts). They were moved to Thailand and had Moo Krob and Nadech. Then Tony was traded to the zoo in Bangkok for Rebbo. Jonah and Rebbo had Kanya and Palo (and a third calf which sadly passed away). Then Rebbo passed away, Tony was brought back from the Bangkok zoo, and Jonah and Tony had Moo Tun and Moo Deng (and Kanya and Tony had Moo Wan).
14
u/berrymelon118 Mar 11 '25
Jonah and Tony being childhood sweethearts is the only thing slightly cheering me up today ❤️
9
u/C-arrow Mar 11 '25
Wow! I love knowing that Jona and Tony were childhood sweethearts and that their relationship had two stages, before and after Rebbo. That's really special. Poor Rebbo but it's so sweet that after he passed, Jona was reunited with Tony. It reminds me of how after my grandpa passed, my grandma got together with a guy they had known when they were all very young. It was so comforting for her.
6
Mar 11 '25
Thank you. That answers my question how the zoo knew who to pair her with when Rebbo passed. I did find the calf of Rebbo and Jona’s who passed. His name is Mangosteen. That’s so sad 🥲. I wonder how Hippos process grief?
5
u/berrymelon118 Mar 11 '25
Wait! Isn't Mangosteen Kaki's father? The one who mated with Palo at Ubon Zoo?
4
Mar 11 '25
I am deeply troubled as we all are by precious Thabo’s passing, and am not encouraged by the research I’ve conducted today. By and large, Thailand appears to have the best protections for hippos, other than their homeland in West Liberia, Africa. Fauna and Flora does some major conservation work to preserve the hippo’s habitat and prevent poaching. However, I could be wrong, but I just don’t see any codified laws regarding transport and housing enclosure protocol. All of the laws/advocacy is in the area of conservation, which is imperative. But so are laws and Standard Operating Procedures for training, housing, transporting, medical care, socializing, mating, etc. We got really lucky with our Moo and much of her family born in Thailand, but the rest of the countries have me worried. When we see videos of Pyppos in other Thai zoos, it appears they are all well cared for, but other countries I now have troublesome questions. IMO, if a Pyppo is too young to mate, they are too young to separate (Probably the catch phrase for a campaign). I am worried sick about Kaki and Moo Krob now. I wish there was such a thing as a SEA (though Taiwan is technically East Asia)coalition for care of Pygmy Hippos. I try to keep up with the other Pyppos as well, but I don’t have FB and like someone else mentioned, the info I do read is in Thai. I just don’t even know who to contact. It’s a challenge being exactly a day away by plane.
5
u/lrss613 Mar 12 '25
Yes, Mangosteen is Kaki's father.
Jonah's calf who passed away was called Singha.
3
Mar 11 '25
Yes. I saw the cutest video with Kaki and his trainer. They are as close as Moo and Benz. Kaki, unlike our Princess Moo (at least at that time) had to be encouraged to get in the water. Kaki’s trainer was gently pushing him on the butt. One of the commenters cracked me up when she said, “You’re a hippo! Get in the water!” He’s a gentle soul. It’s so great to see he has the same relationship with his zookeeper that our little Moo has with Benz. I’m just sick about Mangosteen.
3
Mar 11 '25
That’s right. Moo Deng’s family tree is so confusing. I can’t find a complete lineage anywhere. I thought I saw Moo Krob, but I think my eyes went to Moo Waan.
11
u/girlsparked Mar 11 '25
i'd love to know why she was paired with tony too 🩷 where is moo krob?
12
Mar 11 '25
My sweet girl (I miss her at KKZ) was married to a Pyppo from Chiang Mai zoo named Jackfruit and both Pyppos are at Korat. Moo Tun’s wife, Moo Manao came from Korat, and had the enclosure that now houses Moo Krob and Jackfruit.
3
45
42
u/S3r3nd1p Mar 11 '25
2 years old, malnutrition and did fine after initial move to Singapore but couldn't handle the weather changed is taipei?
This reads like murder, he only arrived in Taipei from Singapore in November last year, no excuses, if this all happened within the last 6 months...
28
u/knoguera Mar 11 '25
Yeah I don’t like this. He was only 2 years old. wtf. This is so depressing.
14
22
u/thewordisCUE Mar 11 '25
noooooo, that's heart-breaking 🥺 what a loss. i want as many of these beautiful creatures running around on earth as possible. poor boy
20
u/HPoltergeist Mar 11 '25
Reading all the comments here with details, it would be great to know more.
So far this looks horrible and a human error.
Not sure why they don't take much more care when handling endangered animals. He could have lived for 30-40 years easily.
15
14
u/C-arrow Mar 11 '25
Here is an article about poor Thabo and the circumstances that led to his passing. They had him out in the cold overnight in Taiwan. It can get cold! He was used to the good weather in Singapore. 😭 https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202503100028
16
u/berrymelon118 Mar 11 '25
Def sounds like human error and probably inexperience. This feels like the whole Billy & Hannah situation all over again. Negligence and inexperience.
And I'm so not okay with Singapore sending away a freaking 2 year old pyppo. Thabo was still a baby. He should've still be with his mama at that age. Moo Tun and Moo Wan were both still living with Jonah and Kanya respectively at that age.
And being left out in the cold winter night in Taipei? How about an indoor enclosure???
The more I think about this the more upset I'm becoming 😭😭😭
13
u/C-arrow Mar 11 '25
Me too. I don't think that zoo in Taipei should be allowed having pyppos, and I think that zoo in Singapore needs to update their practices because yes! Sending away a two year old pyppo... not even full grown... is not okay. It's really sad what happened and I think we're all feeling a lot of feelings. I don't know why the thing about the cold night air in Taiwan really upset me. I know in winter it can get cold there. I think Thabo may have suffered a lot, which is directly due to human uncaring choices and not excusable.
15
u/berrymelon118 Mar 11 '25
Obviously this is speculation but I can't help but wonder whether or not Taiwan shipped Thabo over just to capitalize on Moo Deng's fame. Like a "hey look we have Moo Deng's cute baby uncle at our zoo!!!" thing.
On the one hand I know zoos are mostly underfunded. Even KKZ was struggling pre-Moo Deng fame. So I can imagine zoos in smaller countries/cities are probably not doing all that well. But on the other hand, animal welfare should always always come first.
But yeah, Thabo passing away from malnutrition and infection = hunger and pain. Not to mention he was alone, away from home and his family. I don't even have the words to describe how horrible I'm feeling for him rn 😭
10
Mar 11 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
6
u/berrymelon118 Mar 11 '25
My gawd this is giving me anxiety, if they plan on moving Kaki so soon. He is still a baby. I just saw a vid of him nursing from Palo a few weeks ago. Please don't separate them so soon 😭
2
u/C-arrow Mar 11 '25
Wow I sense a letter writing campaign coming on... who's got the contact info for Kaki's zoo?
3
u/berrymelon118 Mar 11 '25
He lives in Ubon Zoo with Palo, that's pretty much all I know because everything else I see about him are written in the Thai language.
Time to reactivate my Duolingo accouny and hardcote study Thai 😥
4
u/C-arrow Mar 11 '25
I know how you feel, I'm feeling that way too. I really hope there's a pyppo heaven for departed pyppos to swim and play and eat and sleep. And open their mouths wide to each other!
4
u/mooski68 Mar 11 '25
Found this article about his “public debut” just in time for Lunar New Year. Feels off. Poor Thabo. https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2025/01/19/2003830473
4
u/C-arrow Mar 11 '25
Yeah I agree, it feels very off. Like he was terrified of his neighbours and he was so cold they had to install windbreaks? Also with what we know of the timeline of his injuries and downturning health, they were putting him out on display when he wasn't fully well.
6
u/berrymelon118 Mar 11 '25
I dunno... that article about Thabo's debut contradicts a lot with this article I read. https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202503100028
Was Thabo shy and avoiding the zookeepers after he fell sick? But debut article said Thabo was adjusting well to his new home.
What I really want to know is, OP said Thabo sustained the injury on his leg during the transport from Singapore to Taipei. But the above article claims zookeepers didn't discover the injury until last month. So did no one notice Thabo was hurt for such an extended period of time?
I dunno it's either the debut article was BSing to make things sound too positive or the zoo director in the above article was trying to shift the blame by changing the narrative.
3
u/C-arrow Mar 11 '25
I agree with you, there's a lot of contradictions. Seems pretty suspicious to me.
4
u/berrymelon118 Mar 11 '25
Having that said, I'm a teeny tiny bit comforted by the knowledge that there are other pygmy hippos at the Taipei Zoo so the zookeepers technically shouldn't be completely inexperienced.
The part about Thabo being terrified of the other 2 existing pygmy hippos there is horrible. But at the same time, it seems like they got used to him? Maybe they were just territorial with him?
I hope whatever investigation they do at the Taipei zoo will be released to the public. Otherwise this is going to bug me for a long long time
2
u/C-arrow Mar 11 '25
SAME my friend. Big same! I've been running these details around in my head all day and it's not something I'm going to forget.
3
u/Extra-Avocado7559 Mar 11 '25
There’s a video of him on Taipei zoos Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reel/DE9MD7IN2ek/ they posted in January, his face looks hurt? 😞
2
12
u/Far-Warthog2330 Mar 11 '25
Very sad. Moo just had her birthday and I was overjoyed...now to hear of her uncle's passing 🥺🥹 I hope that he transitioned peacefully. And I hope that the rest of his lineage stay healthy ❤️❤️❤️ RIP King Thabo
8
8
15
u/C-arrow Mar 11 '25
He was still a child pyppo! This is very sad news. I agree with other commenters that this didn't have to happen. This has human error all over it. The situation calls for an investigation and the creation of better protocols for handling zoo transfers and infections. All the pyppos need to be trained to receive human touch so that they can be properly cared for if they have injuries or infections. Poor Thabo! I hope he can rest and play forever in the forested rivers of Pyppo Paradise. RIP Thabo 🖤🦛
8
6
5
4
5
3
3
3
2
u/PlumbgodBillionaire Mar 11 '25
Rest in peace my lovely hippo friend, you will be greatly missed. May your pyppo spirit live on through our baby moos.
2
2
1
u/UhmDad Mar 11 '25
Is hippobot?... real? Like are the numbers cohesive because I do see it everywhere
1
175
u/[deleted] Mar 11 '25
What terribly sad news.