Vitalik Buterin Donates $300,000 to Thai Zoo, Adopts Pygmy Hippo Viral Behind Coin Meme Moo Deng

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

Buterin’s Christmas gift will be used to improve the zoo’s facilities and support its wildlife sponsorship program.

Crypto meets conservation

In a letter to Khao Kheow’s director shared with 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 participation. He thanked the zoo for hosting him and highlighted Moo Deng’s unique role as Thailand’s cultural ambassador.

Buterin praised the animal sanctuary’s efforts and reiterated the importance of improving the pygmy hippo’s 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, about $300,000 in Moo Deng’s name, to be paid in two installments. The first contribution was made on December 26, and the date of the second will be announced later. Buterin has also pledged an additional 88 ETH to ensure continued support for the zoo’s projects.

Earlier, the establishment had posted to X expressing its gratitude for the Ethereum developer’s generosity, calling him “a foster 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 worldwide fame as the face of the MOODENG coin. The token has captured the attention of the crypto community despite recent market fluctuations.

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

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

Buterin previously liquidated over $1 million in meme tokens donated to him, including $10 billion from MOODENG, donating the proceeds to various charities.

Interestingly, he recently criticized the meme coin space, denouncing 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 incorporate fun mechanics that go beyond trading.

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