I remember Koko the Gorilla
In my reading I would sometimes encounter stories about Koko the conversant gorilla. I would marvel at these stories because they caused me to rethink my interpretation of the 'dumb animal' and compare that place where I believed intelligence existed in the world and just how it might exist and be possessed by whom ... |
Hanabiko "Koko" the female western lowland gorilla was born July 4, 1971 at the San Francisco Zoo. She lived primarily in The Gorilla Foundation's preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains at Woodside, California. Her name, "Hanabiko" means "fireworks child" and refers to her July 4th birthdate.
She became famous after adopting a kitten as a pet and naming him All Ball.
She was cared for by one Francine Patterson who instructed her in "gorilla sign language" for which she gained a 1000 word vocabulary attaining the same level as that of most 3 year old human children. Ms Patterson also immersed Koko in English from an early age and Koko subsequently understood some 2000 words of spoken English in addition to the signing.
Koko the gorilla became the stuff of legend in the scientific and animal loving communities and indeed had her own web site.
Koko lived with two males, first Michael who used sign language and passed in 2000. Then there was Ndume with whom she cohabitated until her death in her sleep the morning of June 19, 2018.
My most poignant memories of Koko include the visits by Robin Williams and her subsequent mourning of his passing.
Regardless of where you stand regarding the cognitive abilities of gorillas and other apes in general this particular animal was popular and skilled in communicating with people and even showed a love for conversation.
This is the crossing of boundaries some other gorillas might not traverse regardless of any nurturing they might receive.