Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, has gained attention for donating 88 ETH, worth about $292,000, to help Moo Deng, a pygmy hippo at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand. Moo Deng became popular after her cute photos spread on social media, boosting the zoo’s visitor count and driving sales of merchandise with her image.
Buterin expressed his excitement about the donation on X (formerly Twitter), showing pride in helping with Moo Deng’s care and suggesting more donations could come in the future.
Moo Deng’s popularity led to the creation of the MOODENG meme coin, and its creator donated more than 10 billion tokens to Buterin. He decided to sell these tokens and use the money for charity.
After Buterin donated ETH, the MOODENG token’s value jumped more than 70% in just 24 hours and rose a total of 125% over the week, highlighting how meme coins can lead to good results even with their uncertain nature.
Buterin has always supported using cryptocurrencies, like meme tokens, to create social impact. His recent actions highlight how decentralized financial tools can help global causes.
The MIRA token, started by Siqi Chen, is another example ofa charity linked to meme coins. This initiative came about after his daughter was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. An X user named Waddles made the MIRA meme coin on Solana to show support. He gave half of its supply to Chen, who will donate all the money to medical research.
MOODENG and MIRA show that meme coins can go beyond just speculation. They can be used for good and help with social change, proving that cryptocurrency can support important causes, not just make money.
