Koko (gorilla)

Koko, also known as Hanabiko, was a female western lowland gorilla born on July 4, 1971, at the San Francisco Zoo. She became famous worldwide for her ability to use signs adapted from American Sign Language. Koko was raised by researcher Francine Patterson as part of experiments to understand how animals can communicate.

Koko could understand many words and ideas, including abstract ones like "good" and "false." Some experts believed she used language much like people do, though others thought she did not fully use grammar like humans. Despite debates about her skills, Koko helped people see gorillas in a new way. Before her, many thought gorillas were not very intelligent, but Koko showed that they could have feelings and understand more than people thought.

Koko appeared on the covers of National Geographic and was even the star of a popular children’s book called Koko's Kitten. She lived her whole life at the Gorilla Foundation and became the most famous gorilla in the world. Sadly, Koko passed away on June 19, 2018, but her story continues to influence how we think about animal intelligence and emotions. After her death, the journal Science published an obituary, noting that she had helped change how people view animal feelings and cleverness.

Early life and popularity

Koko was born on July 4, 1971, at the San Francisco Zoo. She was named Hanabiko, which means "firework girl" in Japanese, because she was born on the Fourth of July. When Koko was very young, she was taken care of by people because she was not healthy.

A woman named Francine Patterson started teaching Koko to use sign language. At first, they worked at the zoo, but it was too noisy. So, they moved to a quieter place. Koko became very famous. In 1978, she was on the cover of National Geographic magazine, and later, in 1985, she was on another cover with her kitten, All Ball. A children's book called Koko's Kitten told the story of how Koko got and loved her kitten.

Characteristics

Francine Patterson shared studies showing that Koko could talk using signs from American Sign Language. Koko even made up new signs for things nobody taught her, like mixing the signs for "finger" and "bracelet" to mean "ring". But some scientists thought Koko was just copying what her trainers did.

These scientists said that Koko might not truly understand what she was signing. They thought she only signed because she got rewards. They also said that the person interpreting Koko’s signs might see things that weren’t really there. Even though there were disagreements, everyone agreed that Koko learned many signs, but she didn’t really speak a full language like humans do.

Later life and death

After the research with Koko was finished, she moved to a reserve in Woodside, California. There, she lived with another gorilla named Michael, who passed away in 2000. Later, she lived with another male gorilla named Ndume.

Koko met many famous people during her time at the reserve, including Robin Williams, Fred Rogers, Betty White, William Shatner, Flea, Leonardo DiCaprio, Peter Gabriel, and Sting.

Koko passed away peacefully in her sleep on June 19, 2018, at the age of 46. The Gorilla Foundation shared that her teachings about gorillas will continue to influence how we understand these animals. Her companion, Ndume, was later moved to the Cincinnati Zoo after some legal discussions.

Resources for additional information

Books and documentaries

Some books and shows have been made about Koko. In 1978, there was a film called Koko: A Talking Gorilla by Barbet Schroeder. That same year, National Geographic had a picture by Koko on its cover. In 1985, a children's book named Koko's Kitten was published by Patterson. There have been many other books and TV shows about Koko's life and story.

Movies and television shows

In 1998, Koko appeared on an episode of Mr Rogers' Neighborhood. Mister Rogers visited Koko, who had learned to talk using American Sign Language.