Exclusive | New Yorker spent thousands, 50 hours traveling just to see Moo Deng twice: I am absolutely in love

Everyone loves Moo Deng, but it’s rare that someone would cross oceans for her — twice.Molly Swindall fell in love with the baby pygmy hippo at the start of her internet fame — and made multiple trips around the world this month just to see her.“I am absolutely in love with that shiny, moist potato,” Swindall, 30, told The Post.“She is fun and lighthearted,” the New Yorker said of Moo Deng, who has a penchant for biting zookeepers and dabbling in “moonwalking.” “She is adorable, has a strong personality, and she is an absolute joy to watch.”Swindall revealed that she traveled a total of 21 hours on her first trip on Oct.1 — 18½ hours of that flying — and without much time off from work.

But she kept her trip short: just 30 hours in Thailand, which she said cost her somewhere between $1,000 and $1,100.“Moo Deng is a bright spot during a time where there is a lot of unknown,” Swindall shared.“People always need joy in their lives, and she is bringing that joy to people.”Moo Deng became an overnight viral sensation when her keepers at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo, where she was born, started posting clips of the hippo’s funny moments.The baby hippo has since been the center of many memes and was even the subject of a recent skit on “Saturday Night Live.”But seeing Moo Deng online wasn’t enough for Swindall — she needed to peep her in person.“I just love animals, and I love adventure, and so I made it a goal to go,” Swindall told CNN.

“My dad passed away kind of unexpectedly six years ago, and at that point, I was just, like, ‘You know what? I’m always going to live my life to the fullest.I’m always going to have a sense of adventure.’ “And that’s why I decided to do what I did,” she said of her long journey to see the baby beast.Her only destination was Moo Deng’s zoo home, and she shared a laugh with customs agents when she told them she was there solely to see the adorable animal.She chronicled her trav...