Moo Deng Meme Coin Rises After Man Fined for Entering Viral Pygmy Hippo's Den

The Solana meme coin inspired by viral pygmy hippo Moo Deng (MOODENG) is up 6.5% successful the past 24 hours amid quality that a antheral that intruded connected the animal’s enclosure has been fined for the act. 

The man, who was reportedly fined $300 for unlawfully entering the area, was recovered blameworthy by a section Thai tribunal aft being arrested successful March. 

In a video shared pursuing the arrest, a antheral tin beryllium seen hopping a obstruction astatine the Khao Kheow Open Zoo erstwhile nary unit were astir Moo Deng’s quarters. He holds what appears to beryllium an iPad oregon a akin tablet successful hand, earlier approaching Moo Deng portion signaling a video.

The stunt has led to accrued information measures astatine the zoo according to its manager Narongwit Chodchoy, who told AFP that it volition “have to bid [staff] connected what to bash if determination are immoderate intruders.”

"We learned from this acquisition and volition not let it to hap again—not to Moo Deng and not to different animals successful the zoo," helium said. The viral pygmy hippo was not harmed during the stunt, but was “slightly startled” according to the report. 

Moo Deng roseate to popularity successful aboriginal 2024, rapidly becoming a viral sensation connected societal media for its playful antics. Around that time, a meme coin celebrating the hippo was launched via fashionable token launchpad Pump.fun, and soon thereafter gained traction. 

In November of that year, the token surged to an all-time precocious astir $0.68, oregon astir a $680 cardinal marketplace cap. While the precocious was short-lived, the token maintained relevancy for a portion longer, yet earning listings from each the large centralized exchanges, including Coinbase, which spiked the token terms by 80% successful December of that year.

Since that time, though, it’s mostly been stuck successful a downward spiral, precocious changing hands astir $0.048, oregon astir a $48 cardinal marketplace cap—nearly 93% disconnected its all-time high. Mainstream media attention, similar the caller study from the AFP, typically supply a burst of beingness to meme coins, which are tokens that are often based connected fashionable civilization and events and person nary existent utility.

For example, the terms of MOODENG surged astir 33% erstwhile the zoo announced plans for a archetypal day enactment past July. 

However, the token’s latest surge besides comes amid improving macroeconomic conditions, highlighted by the precocious Tuesday conditional ceasefire successful Iran, avoiding a perchance monolithic onslaught teased by U.S. President Donald Trump. Since that time, each crypto assets person surged, led by Bitcoin and Ethereum jumping 4.2% and 6.3% respectively successful the past day.

Meme coins arsenic a full person underperformed the majors, though, jumping conscionable 3.6% successful the past 24 hours according to CoinGecko.