The internet has become obsessed with two animals in recent weeks; Moo Deng, the pygmy hippo from Thailand, and Pesto the giant emperor penguin chick from Melbourne’s Sea Life Aquarium.

The interest has sparked hordes of visitors, thousands of memes, celebrity endorsements and even moves for a patent. What makes an animal go viral? And what are some of the unintended repercussions for the cute specimen in question?

On today’s episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by Dr Kyle Moore from Swinburne University to find out.

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What’s behind Moo Deng and Pesto’s viral moment?