Top 10 Zoo Stars That Are Popular on the Internet

In recent years, many zoos have achieved lucrative profits through the animals in the zoos. Some of them are successful because of hard work, while others are accidental surprises. Do you know which zoos have popular animals? Today, we will take stock of the top ten zoo stars that are popular on the Internet, including: Hehua, Menglan, Mao Simiao, Xiangxiang, Diunaxing, Nanjing Internet Celebrity Monkey, Angela, etc. Who do you like best?

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1. Hehua (bringing tourism to Chengdu, Sichuan)

There are three mythical animals in China: pandas from Sichuan, caracals from Xining, and golden monkeys from Dalian. Among them, the pandas from Sichuan are undoubtedly the most popular, and Hehua is the most popular. Hehua, also known as "Huahua", is highly recognizable, with pure white fur, a round shape, and almost no neck. When sitting, it looks like a small triangular rice ball. Its every move, including eating, rolling, and lying, can attract many fans to watch and discuss. Some fans even start queuing at more than 6 o'clock in the morning, just to see it first when the park opens at 7:30.

In 2023, Hehua became popular on major social platforms, and "Panda Hehua" repeatedly topped the hot search list and topped the list for a long time. Relevant data shows that the average consumption (including air tickets, accommodation and tickets) of tourists who go to Chengdu to see the giant panda Huahua exceeds 1,000 yuan, and the annual income of the panda base is expected to exceed 130 million yuan.

2. Menglan (Xizhimen San Taizi)

Among the popular animals in the zoo, Menglan is second only to Huahua in popularity. Her nicknames include "Xizhimen San Taizi", "Mengmengzi" and "Momoer". Her father is Meilan, a panda who returned from the Atlanta Zoo in the United States. Menglan inherited the good genes of her parents and quickly became popular on the Internet with her cute doll-like appearance when she was born.

Not only can she communicate with her nanny in Sichuan dialect, but she has also become a big star on the Internet with this talent. At the same time, Menglan was in the news for fighting with her nanny and nanny because she could not accept that she weighed more than 100 kilograms. She also caused heated discussions on the Internet because of the "jailbreak" incident, and she has become a generation of Internet celebrities.

3. Mao Simiao (the only male manul in captivity)

Mao Simiao is undoubtedly one of the legendary online celebrities in the zoo. Born in 2015, it was rescued from the home of a citizen in Xining City by the Qinghai Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center. After artificial breeding, Mao Simiao has been living in Xining Wildlife Park, which has become the only place where manuls can be seen. There is also a "history of humiliation" hidden behind its name.

In the first mating in 2018, Mao Simiao took only four seconds, so it got the homophonic name "Mao Simiao". Starting with a funny name, it quickly became a "top internet celebrity" with its own Weibo super topic and fan group. Up to 2 million netizens follow this "cute pet" every day. Some people even created a cheering song for it. However, in 2022, Simiao died of suffocation due to chicken stuck in his throat while eating, which is regrettable.

4. Xiangxiang (Japanese celebrity panda)

Among the internet celebrity animals in the zoo, pandas are not only well-known in China, but also have a high international popularity. Take Japan's Xiangxiang as an example. This celebrity panda was born on June 12, 2017 by the male giant panda "Bi Li" and the female giant panda "Xian Nu" who went to Japan in 2011. Xiang Xiang has been loved since birth, with 320,000 people naming her and national television recording her growth.

Xiang Xiang is undoubtedly the most economically profitable panda, and she has made headlines in major Japanese media many times. According to statistics, Xiang Xiang has brought 53.9 billion yen (about 2.78 billion yuan) to the local area in more than five years in Japan, with an average annual revenue of about 500 million yuan. Before she returned to China, the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan, was open to the public for the last day, attracting a large number of fans to say goodbye to Xiang Xiang.

5. Diuna Xing (Nanning Zoo Animal Internet Celebrity)

In 2022, an orangutan at the Nanning Zoo unexpectedly became popular for its child-like behavior. The chimpanzee became popular for throwing rocks and mud at tourists and splashing water. His popularity on the Internet soared due to the "ape feces" incident, and he was eventually called "Dunna Chimpanzee". Tourists who followed the social media craze further promoted the popularity of Nanning Zoo.

However, the chimpanzee's throwing behavior was actually out of anger. In order to prevent it from hurting tourists, the zoo's conservation staff will enter the museum every day to check for safety hazards, clean up hard objects such as stones in time, and strengthen patrols to ensure safety.

6. Nanjing Internet Celebrity Monkey (Excluded and Bullied)

This Internet celebrity monkey, which once attracted much attention for "making trouble in Nanjing", is notorious for its various pranks, such as abusing cats, swinging, chasing dogs, breaking into dormitories and stealing kittens. In the end, it was arrested and sent to Hongshan Forest Zoo for conservation. However, the monkey's life in the zoo was not satisfactory and even somewhat humiliating.

After several months of adaptation, it was released back to the monkey mountain, but was beaten up by a group of monkeys as soon as it was released for provoking other monkeys. In order to avoid attacks, it can only live in the water on a bamboo raft, and its living conditions are very difficult. This scene was photographed by netizens and uploaded to the Internet, which once again triggered heated discussions among the public.

7. Angela (Human-like Malayan bear)

Many zoo star animals have become popular online with their cute actions, and Angela's popularity is very funny. According to BRTV "Time Video", on July 29, 2023, a netizen posted a video showing that a black bear in Hangzhou Zoo was suspected of imitating humans. The black bear stood proudly when interacting with tourists, and netizens jokingly called it "popular among people."

This video was even reported by foreign media, and the host couldn't help laughing. In fact, this black bear is called Angela, a Malayan bear, the size of a large dog, usually between 110 and 150 cm long.

8. Aoxue (China's first artificially bred snow leopard)

"Aoxue" is a snow leopard born on June 10, 2016 in the Snow Leopard Pavilion of Xining Wildlife Park. On its first birthday, its identity was officially made public, and a naming campaign was launched. After voting on Weibo and WeChat, "Aoxue" finally stood out and became a well-known favorite. Before "Mao Simiao", Aoxue was the first star of Xining Wildlife Park.

In order to help this "princess" debut smoothly, the deputy director Qi Xinzhang, a man with a science background, was forced to turn into an online writer. He created "Princess Diary" from Aoxue's perspective, serialized 68 issues, and opened a super topic to enthusiastically support the princess.

9. Feiyun (the first generation of female Internet celebrity in the panda world)

In the panda world, Feiyun can be regarded as a first generation Internet celebrity. Its father is the giant panda Lulu, and its mother is the giant panda Feifei. Together with Jinhu and Miaoyin, they are affectionately called the "Dalian Three Treasures" by fans. Feiyun's appearance can be regarded as one of the beautiful representatives of the "bear world", reflecting the perfect combination of health and cuteness.

Its round head, plump and well-proportioned body, white and delicate hair, and long and curled eyelashes fully demonstrate the harmony between "fit body" and "cute appearance". Therefore, fans also jokingly call it a cute goddess who "looks back and smiles, and kills Lu Zhishen with one punch". The "Fei" in the name comes from Zhang Fei, and the "Yun" is taken from Zhao Yun.

10. Ahang (Lion with bangs)

The white lion "Ahang" of Guangzhou Zoo has become popular on the Internet for its unique hairstyle style. "Ahang", born in 2009, is a white lion introduced from Hangzhou to Guangzhou Zoo in 2015. Its abundant hair allows it to easily create a variety of hairstyles, which is very rare among similar white lions. Even among lions with more hair, "Ahang" is unique in its density.

Its hairstyle changes frequently, especially on a wet day after the rain, when netizens captured "Ahang"'s smooth hair falling naturally, forming a cute little bangs, coupled with its pair of spiritual little eyes, which makes people feel very lovable.

The top ten zoo stars that are popular on the Internet are mainly judged based on the overall popularity of the animals, the number of fans, exposure, and the degree of theme fit. Only the relevant list is counted for entertainment reference only. Comments and corrections are welcome at the end of the article!

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