Precious little animals have been going viral since the advent of the internet itself, but this year it seems as though animal-related content has been dominating feeds and FYPs more than ever. From Cinnamon the fugitive capybara to Moo Deng the baby hippo, here are the best viral animal stories of 2024.

THE ‘I GO MEOW’ CAT

Cala, AKA the “I Go Meow” cat, took the internet by storm back in April this year. It all started when her owner posted a video on TikTok capturing the precious ginger moggy singing a mournful, poignant ballad: “I go meow, I go meow / I go meow, go meow / I don’t know who I am / Look away, away.” A different TikTok account reposted the video after adding a simple beat to Cala’s profoundly affecting lyrics and things quickly snowballed (at time of writing, the video has 59 million views).

The story soon took a dark turn, however. On May 30, just weeks after Cala shot to international fame, Cala’s owner, Elizabeth Toth, posted a “devastating” update on TikTok where she confirmed that Cala had passed away “due to old age”. RIP Cala, fur-ever in our hearts.

THE APOCALYPSE HORSES

Back in April, five horses were seen bolting through central London, one of which was covered in blood after colliding with a bus. The horses, which belonged to the Household Cavalry, unseated their riders and made a run for it after being spooked during their morning exercise near Hyde Park Barracks. They fled eastwards through central London – and even tore past the Dazed offices on the Strand – with one of the five making it all the way to Limehouse, around five miles from the Hyde Park Barracks.

Many people interpreted the horses as a bad omen or a sign of the impending apocalypse. “Generally speaking, bloodsoaked horses running loose through the nation’s capital isn’t a herald of brighter days to come,” contributing features writer Thom Waite wrote at the time.

THE DOGE DOG

Back in May, Kabosu – the shiba inu behind the viral doge meme – sadly passed away at the grand old age of 18. Kabosu first made waves on social media back in the early 2010s after her owner uploaded a photo of her to a personal blog: the photo, which captures Kabosu shooting the camera a charmingly quizzical look, subsequently went viral on sites like Tumblr and inspired the internet language of ‘doge-speak’ (“so doge, very meme, much wow” etc etc). Fly high Kabosu.

NEIL THE SEAL

Neil, if you’re unfamiliar, is a wonderful elephant seal who lives in Tasmania. While he shot to fame back in 2022, Neil has continued to make headlines this year by getting up to his usual antics: taking naps on busy roads, destroying people’s property, plonking his 600kg slab of a body across driveways. With his penchant for screaming at nothing, sleeping literally anywhere, and occasional outbursts of violence, in many ways, Neil walked so Moo Deng could run (more on her later).

SPHEN THE TRAILBLAZING GAY PENGUIN

In August we were dealt some more devastating animal news after Sydney Aquarium announced that Sphen, the internationally famous gay penguin, had passed away. If you’re somehow unfamiliar (seriously, where have you been if you don’t know Sphen?), Sphen and his partner Magic first made headlines back in 2018 after staff at Sydney’s Sea Life Aquarium noticed them courting each other and even building a nest together. They were subsequently given an egg to foster, and in January 2019 the pair welcomed baby Lara (Lara was AMAB and originally called ‘Sphengic’). Later that same year they fostered and raised a second chick named Clancy, cementing their position as champions of same-sex parenting.

Unfortunately Sphen passed away earlier this year at the tender age of 11. “According to aquarium staff, the winged, waddling widower was taken to see Sphen’s body after he died earlier this month, and immediately started singing in grief. The other 45 penguins in the colony then joined in the chorus, in a beautiful and moving sendoff to the departed,” Thom Waite reported at the time.

CINNAMON THE CAPYBARA

Back in September, Cinnamon the capybara fled her enclosure at Telford’s Hoo Zoo after being startled by a tractor mower. After bolting through a gate that was accidentally left open, the dog-sized rodent hightailed it to a nearby area of woodland, where she hunkered down and attempted to evade capture from zookeepers. They were never too worried about Cinnamon, though: while she was on the loose, zoo owner Will Dorrell speculated that she was “probably living her best life”.

Zoo staff initially failed to lure out the fugitive rodent using apples, pears and capybara sounds and scents. But she was eventually tracked down to a pond just 250 metres from her paddock and after an hour-long rescue operation she was eventually bundled into a cage and taken back to her paddock to be reunited with her brother Churro and parents Chimu and Chincha.

PESTO THE PENGUIN

Pesto the penguin went viral in September after Melbourne Aquarium began posting videos of him on social media. The penguin was revered for being the largest king penguin chick to ever live at the aquarium: despite being a baby, in September it was reported that he weighed more than his parents Hudson and Tango combined.

The porky penguin captured the hearts of people all around the globe. He was affectionally described as a “massive fatty”, an “absolute unit”, and a “linebacker”. While visiting Melbourne Katy Perry experessed a desire to kiss the chubby little baby (while she did meet Pesto on September 27, although unfortunately she was not allowed to kiss him due to biosecurity measures). Pesto was also visited by Olivia Rodrigo on October 11 while she was in Melbourne during the GUTS World Tour.

PEANUT THE SQUIRREL

Peanut the squirrel was a bona fide internet sensation. Rescued in 2017 by Mark Longo after his mother was killed by a car in New York, Peanut went on to become the subject of a popular Instagram page (@peanut_the_squirrel12) which at time of writing has over 900,000 followers.

But Peanut’s life was cut tragically short in October this year after New York authorities seized and cruelly euthanised him, citing concerns about rabies. Not only did they murder Peanut in cold blood, but they also captured and killed Peanut’s bestie Fred, a raccoon who also lived in Longo’s home. Longo is now planning to sue the state, accusing officials of government overreach and abuse. Justice for Peanut and Fred!!!

MOO DENG THE BABY HIPPO

The slimy baby hippo gambolled onto our phone screens back in September after going viral for being equal parts cute and chaotic. As well as being blessed with big doe eyes and precious tiny ears, Moo Deng – whose name translates to ‘bouncy pork’ – captured the hearts of millions this year with her propensity for mayhem and violence. From taking every opportunity to clamp her big toothless mouth around her keeper’s leg, to using her mother’s back as a water slide, to screaming at nothing, Moo Deng has become the patron saint of angsty Gen Zs everywhere.

As James Greig put it: “When Moo Deng screams, she screams for everyone. She has given expression to the inchoate rage and dissatisfaction of life under late capitalism. In a cruel and unjust world, in which daily life alternates between crushing tedium and pulverising stress, we can each of us point to her and say: ‘this baby hippo is meeee’.”

HAGGIS THE OTHER BABY HIPPO

Edinburgh Zoo caused quite a stir when they posted on X to announce the birth of a pygmy calf named Haggis at the zoo. “Moo Deng? Who deng? Introducing … Haggis,” they wrote. “Otto and Gloria have welcomed an ADORABLE pygmy hippo calf! She is doing well, but we’ll be keeping the hippo house closed for the time being so that our expert keepers can keep a close eye on mum and baby at this sensitive time.”

Some criticised the zoo for bringing Moo Deng into it. “Why do they have to pit two beautiful women against each other?” asked one user on X. Others welcomed the news of a new hippo du jour, especially after Moo Deng apparently endorsed Donald Trump after eating a watermelon with the Republican candidate’s name on it ahead of the US election. “Man, fuck Moo Deng. Fucking fascist hippo,” wrote one disappointed fan.

J27 BLACKBERRY

If you’re reading this thinking ‘who the hell is J27 Blackberry’, allow me to illuminate you. J27 Blackberry, killer whale and member of the northeast Pacific’s ‘J Pod’, made waves in the Pacific Ocean last month by rocking a dead salmon for a hat. “J Pod arrived in Puget Sound on October 19 and have stayed for 11 days straight,” reads an October 29 dispatch from the Orca Network. “Observations indicate they are likely finding plenty of salmon during their stay and may be why they have remained inland so long. Check out this photo of J27 Blackberry sporting a salmon hat!”

Those of us who are well versed in the sartorial choices of marine life – and at Dazed, where pop culture meets the underground, we definitely are – will know that J27 Blackberry was reviving a popular orca trend from the 1980s, which saw orcas place dead fish on their heads in a similar fashion. Who knows what trends Mr Blackberry will revive in 2025?