I loved pygmy hippos long before the world fell for Moo Deng | Natasha May

They've been my favourite since doing work experience at Sydney's Taronga zoo. I hope the viral moment sweeping the globe turns into an enduring devotion like mine

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Anyone who knows me well knows I love pygmy hippos. Up until a few weeks ago, it was somewhat of a novelty answer when the question of my favourite animal came up.

That is, until the rest of the world woke up to the unique cuteness of the luminescent blubber, the tiny cylindrical ears poking out perpendicular to the head, the great orb-like black eyes and the pink underbelly, since videos of Moo Deng went viral.