The long weekend is attracting even larger crowds than usual to see the celebrity pygmy hippo Moo Deng with traffic to Khao Kheow Open Zoo backed up over five kilometres on Saturday.
Road jams were reported across Chon Buri province on Saturday, with the epicentre traced to the zoo, which is located 40 kilometres northeast of Pattaya city.
The extended weekend from Saturday to Monday is bringing a surge in visitors to the zoo, which has been handling large crowds of local and international tourists since Moo Deng’s birth on July 10. Monday is the substitution holiday for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej Memorial Day, which falls on Oct 13.
The end-of-term school holidays also mean more families are heading to the zoo. There have been some complaints that the five-minute time limit on viewings of Moo Deng is too restrictive, as most visitors now have to wait for hours to see her.
Some families present at the zoo on Saturday said that while it only took a little over an hour to travel from Bangkok to Chon Buri, they had to queue in their cars for almost the same amount of time to enter Khao Kheow. The visitors said that they were drawn to the zoo by the popularity of Moo Deng on social media.
The zoo has advised visitors who have not purchased tickets online to prepare cash for ticket purchases at the entrance to help alleviate congestion.
The endangered pygmy hippo celebrated her three-month birthday on Thursday, when a veterinary checkup revealed she had gained 10 kilogrammes over the past month and now weighs 32.7kg.
- Read more: The science of Moo Deng
