Koko, The Gorilla Who Mastered Sign Language, Dies At 46

Koko, the western lowland gorilla was renowned for the ability to communicate in sign language and display human-like emotions tragedically died at age 46. Read on to find out why Koko’s life was incredible and mattered way more than anyone ever thought:

Koko

Koko the gorilla is perhaps the most significant animal to date in modern history. She was known “the gorilla that understands 2,000 words and can sign 1,000 of them.” She made a huge impact on the scientific community and the world. Her existence led to major revelations about animal empathy and communication.

Hanabi-Ko “Koko”

Koko was born Hanabi-ko which is Japanese for “fireworks child.” She was named this because her birthdate is actually on American independence day: July 4, 1971. Since she was young she was only called “Koko.”

Koko Meets Penny Patterson

Koko was born at the San Francisco Zoo in California. At age 1 she was loaned to Francine “Penny” Patterson, who was a doctoral candidate in developmental psychology at Stanford University. She had an interesting theory that animals were a little more like humans than everyone else thought.

Animals Are Like Humans?

Over the course of history, scientists and philosophers have debated about the emotional intelligence and linguistic abilities of animals. Some believe animals have emotions, inner thoughts, and the ability to communicate like humans. Others believe there is a clear line that makes humans distinct from animals. Some argue humans are unique because evolution has allowed us the ability to use a working language and have a sense or understanding of oneself.

Sign Language

Penny Patterson wanted to see if animals too could express themselves like humans, and examine if they had similar thoughts and feelings. Patterson first began working with Koko in 1972, teaching her sign language.

Learning American Sign Language

Koko was first loaned to Patterson when she was 1 years old for an interspecies communication research project at Stanford University. After teaching Koko some American Sign Language (ASL) successfully, she collaborated with fellow researcher Ronald Cohn. The duo co-founded The Gorilla Foundation which is a non-profit organization which aimed to officially adopt Koko and supports research efforts about the amazing gorilla.

Official Adoption

The duo was successful! Patterson and Cohn raised $12,000 to officially adopt Koko. After the adoption, Koko moved with the group to the Santa Cruz Mountains in 1979.

A Great Leap Forward

Let’s not move too quickly. The mere teaching of some American Sign Language to Koko was remarkable! Just by doing this, Patterson helped reveal that great apes have linguistic abilities similar to young children. In fact, Anne Russon, a researcher at York University, said that teaching Koko sign language, as opposed to solely verbal communication, was a “great leap forward.”

Linguistically Gifted

Koko was already becoming the most intelligent ape in history! Under the guidance of Patterson, she learned more than 1,000 words in sign language and came to understand over 2,000 words spoken to her in English.

Verbal And Communication Abilities

First, Koko learned simple nouns like toy, apple, and cookie. Then she learned hundreds of them! She progressed to verbs and then developed mood and emotional communication abilities similar to humans. Can you believe that?

Koko Understood Meaning Behind Words

Koko soon displayed that she had thoughts and the ability to build sentences! For example, she signaled to Patterson, “You key there me cookie.” She was asking Patterson to open the cabinet and bring her a treat. Not only was she communicating, but she understood the meaning behind her communication.

Patterson & Koko

In an interview with ABC News, Francine “Penny” Patterson said, “She taught me more than I taught her, for sure.” She continued, “She had opportunities to show her brilliance and that’s what we saw. We saw a person, really. She had all the attributes of a person and then some.”

Super Smart Gorilla

Additionally, Barbara King, a professor of anthropology at the College of William and Mary said, “Because she was smart enough to comprehend and use aspects of our language, Koko could show us what all great apes are capable of: reasoning about their world, and loving and grieving the other beings to whom they become attached.”

Rise To Fame

Koko quickly became an international celebrity! How could she not? She was the only animal with a vocabulary of more than 1,000 signs and the ability to understand 2,000 words of spoken English!

Endangered Species

Koko was a western lowland gorilla which is considered an endangered species by the International Union for Conversation and Nature. Koko revealed not only language abilities, but her behavior suggested the species had emotions similar to humans. She seemed to have a sense of humor, and was even a bit mischievous!

Celebrity Status

Koko became the most famous western lowland gorilla ever! National Geographic magazine definitely helped with Koko’s rise to fame. The magazine featured Koko on its cover twice.

First Animal Selfie Ever??

The first time Koko was on the cover of National Geographic was in October 1978. It displays a photograph that Koko took of herself in a mirror.

She Wanted A Pet Kitty!

In 1983, researchers at The Gorilla Foundation stated Koko was asking for a pet cat for Christmas. She was first given a stuffed animal but was less than pleased. She refused to play with it and signaled “sad” in American Sign Language. She pretty clearly wanted the real thing!

A Kitten Of Her Own

On Koko’s birthday on July 4, 1984, she was allowed to choose a kitten from a litter of abandoned kittens. She picked a gray kitten and named him “All Ball.” Researchers reported Koko cared for the kitten like it was her own baby!

All Ball

The Gorilla Foundation wrote Koko nursed All Ball and was gentle and displayed love and affection towards her. They also said Koko nurtured and taught All Ball skills like how to care for her offspring!

2nd Nat Geo Cover

This was the inspiration behind the second National Geographic cover in January 1985. Koko appeared with her pet kitten All Ball. The photo was taken by Ronald Cohn.

She Displayed Grief

Unfortunately, in 1984, All Ball escaped from Koko’s cage and was hit by a car. Patterson reported Koko signed “Bad, sad, bad” and “Frown, cry, frown, sad” in response to the event. Patterson also stated Koko made sounds similar to humans when they are crying.

Koko, The Gorilla Who Loved Cats

The following year, in 1985, Koko was allowed to pick two new kittens. She named them “Lipstick” and “Smoky.” She sure was one cat loving gorilla!

Famous Friends

In addition to the National Geographic covers, Koko appeared in several documentaries and had many famous friends! She had a viral video with Robin Williams in 2001. She infamously played with Williams and even tried on his glasses!

Robin Williams Death Impacted Her

When Robin Wiliams died in 2014, Koko took it hard. After meeting in 2001, the two became and stayed friends. In the aftermath of Williams death, The Gorilla Foundation stated that Koko was “quiet and very thoughtful” when she was informed of his death.

Her Impact Is Huge

So Koko used language, displayed emotions, cared for her kitten like a mother, had celebrity friends and now displayed grief! The Gorilla Foundation stated, “Her impact has been profound and what she has taught us about the emotional capacity of gorillas and their cognitive abilities will continue to shape the world.”

Koko Reported Dead At 46

Sadly, Koko very recently died. She reportedly died in her sleep on June 19, 2018. She was 46 years old.

Buried Next To Her BFF

Koko was buried at a grave site in Woodside, California. She was buried alongside Michael, another western lowland gorilla which came to live with Koko at the sanctuary. The two were close friends according to Patterson. “They were great playmates and companions. They were good together, and she loved him so much,” Patterson stated. “It just feels right to have them close.”

Resting In Peace

Patterson said in a recent interview Koko looked “peaceful” after she died. Patterson was of course at her side when she died. In a recent interview with ABC news, Patterson said, “We’re still trying to understand what the cause was.” She continued, “Many gorillas have a heart condition, cardiomyopathy, and she had it, but it was apparently a mild case and was being treated for that. That’s one possibility.”

Koko’s Legacy Will Live On

The Gorilla Foundation issued a statement that it “will continue to honor Koko’s legacy and advance our mission” by studying sign language in great apes and pursuing conservation projects in Africa and around the world. Despite her death, Koko’s legacy and impact on science and philosophy will live on forever.