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

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

Buterin’s Christmas present will go towards upgrading the zoo’s services 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 defined that his involvement stemmed from a current go to to the ability, the place he was captivated by its dedication to animal welfare and neighborhood engagement. He thanked the zoo for welcoming him and highlighted Moo Deng’s distinctive position as a cultural ambassador for Thailand.

Buterin praised the animal sanctuary’s efforts and reiterated the significance of enhancing the pygmy hippo habitat. He additionally acknowledged Thailand’s hospitality to the Ethereum neighborhood, particularly throughout Devcon SEA in Bangkok final November.

The 30-year-old stated he would donate at least 10 million baht, roughly $300,000 in Moo Deng’s identify, to be delivered in two installments. The primary contribution was made on December 26, with the date for the second set to be communicated later. Buterin has additionally promised an additional 88 ETH to make sure ongoing help for the zoo’s tasks.

Earlier, the institution 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 position and quoting a well-liked line from the Star Trek reveals: “Might they stay lengthy and prosper.”

Market Efficiency

Moo Deng, already a beloved image in Thailand, gained world fame because the face of the MOODENG coin. The token has captured the crypto neighborhood’s consideration regardless of current market fluctuations.

On the time of this writing, it was altering palms at $0.2693, with a 24-hour buying and selling quantity of $179.7 million, representing a 50.3% surge in exercise in comparison with the day past.

Whereas the token’s worth dipped 3.2% previously 24 hours, it gained 6.1% over the previous week, outperforming the broader crypto market, which had seen a 1.2% decline in that interval.

Buterin beforehand liquidated over $1 million value of meme tokens donated to him, together with 10 billion MOODENG, giving the proceeds to varied charities.

Curiously, he was not too long ago critical of the meme coin house, decrying the proliferation of celebrity-inspired tokens. He argued that it could be higher if that they had a public aim geared toward selling a particular trigger or at the very least integrated enjoyable mechanics going past buying and selling.