Cute animals — especially baby animals — rule the web. Every time a new one comes up, the details vary, but the fascination is the same.
It’s kind of like a game of Mad Libs, where you pick random words to fill in a sentence: in 2024, a (pygmy hippo) from (Thailand) named (Moo Deng) which means (bouncy pork or meatball) captured internet users’ hearts, thanks in part to (being slippery looking) and (biting her zookeeper’s butt).
Cute animals have been beloved for as long as animals and humans have existed. You might have learned in school about ancient Egyptians treasuring their cats — though it’s false to say they
