Khao Kheow zoo logs over 30k visitors

Over 30,000 people visited Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chon Buri over the long weekend holiday period, as admission fees were scrapped for kids under 12 and adults over 60 to mark King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great’s Memorial Day which fell on Sunday.
Narongwit Chodcoy, zoo director, said the spike in visitor numbers was spurred by the popularity of the zoo’s star attraction, the pygmy hippopotamus calf, Moo Deng.
Before Moo Deng went viral, between 600-700 people would visit the zoo each day.
However, on Saturday, over 10,000 people came to see the pygmy hippo calf and other animals on display at the zoo. The spike in numbers resulted in long queues and severe traffic jams in the area, with traffic backed up several kilometres from the zoo’s entrance.
At 9am on Sunday, a three-kilometre traffic jam could be seen snaking out of the zoo’s entrance, as enthusiastic visitors flocked from all over the country.
Krittanan Prempreeda, who lives in Samut Sakhon, said he left home at 3am. However, when he arrived at 7am, there was already a large crowd waiting to be admitted.
Admission was free on Sunday for visitors aged 60 and under 12 to mark the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great, which is observed on Oct 13 each year.
Meanwhile, Khao Kheow Open Zoo posted on social media that Moo Deng T-shirts are available for purchase at the zoo until Monday. The shirts, it said, are not available for online purchase.
Moo Deng was born on July 10, and shortly after she was born, the pygmy hippo calf became a social media sensation thanks to “Kha Moo & the Gang” Facebook page, on which her keepers regularly post photos and videos of her activities.