Vitalik Buterin Donates $300K to Thai Zoo, Adopts Viral Pygmy Hippo Behind Moo Deng Meme Coin

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has pledged nearly $300,000 to Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo, taking on the role of adoptive father to Moo Deng, a pygmy hippo who inspired the viral MOODENG meme coin.

Buterin’s Christmas gift will go toward upgrading the zoo’s facilities and supporting its Wildlife Sponsorship program.

Crypto Meets Conservation

In a letter addressed to Khao Kheow’s director shared on X, the Russian-born programmer explained that his involvement stemmed from a recent visit to the facility, where he was captivated by its commitment to animal welfare and community engagement. He thanked the zoo for welcoming him and highlighted Moo Deng’s unique role as a cultural ambassador for Thailand.

Buterin praised the animal sanctuary’s efforts and reiterated the importance of improving the pygmy hippo habitat. He also acknowledged Thailand’s hospitality to the Ethereum community, especially during Devcon SEA in Bangkok last November.

The 30-year-old said he would donate no less than 10 million baht, approximately $300,000 in Moo Deng’s name, to be delivered in two installments. The first contribution was made on December 26, with the date for the second set to be communicated later. Buterin has also promised an extra 88 ETH to ensure ongoing support for the zoo’s projects.

Earlier, the establishment had posted on X expressing its appreciation for the Ethereum developer’s generosity, calling him “an adoptive father to Moo Deng.” He responded, sharing his enthusiasm for the role and quoting a popular line from the Star Trek shows: “May they live long and prosper.”

Market Performance

Moo Deng, already a beloved symbol in Thailand, gained global fame as the face of the MOODENG coin. The token has captured the crypto community’s attention despite recent market fluctuations.

At the time of this writing, it was changing hands at $0.2693, with a 24-hour trading volume of $179.7 million, representing a 50.3% surge in activity compared to the previous day.

While the token’s price dipped 3.2% in the past 24 hours, it gained 6.1% over the past week, outperforming the broader crypto market, which had seen a 1.2% decline in that period.

Buterin previously liquidated over $1 million worth of meme tokens donated to him, including 10 billion MOODENG, giving the proceeds to various charities.

Interestingly, he was recently critical of the meme coin space, decrying the proliferation of celebrity-inspired tokens. He argued that it would be better if they had a public goal aimed at promoting a specific cause or at least incorporated fun mechanics going beyond trading.