One of the most famous great apes, Koko the gorilla made headlines for her use of sign language until her death on June 19, 2018.
ZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy Stock PhotoAnimal psychologist Francine “Penny” Patterson and Koko the gorilla.
Koko the gorilla’s death on June 19, 2018 was heartbreaking for many people, especially her caretakers. The gorilla was 46 years old when she died after spending her life with researchers in California.
The gorilla first rose to fame in the 1970s after demonstrating a knack for a modified version of American Sign Language. By the end of her life, she could reportedly sign over 1,000 words, and she also purportedly understood more than 2,000 words of spoken English.
Her appearances with celebrities like Robin Williams, Jane Goodall, and Mister Rogers catapulted her to even more fame and sparked public interest in great ape linguistic research. Years after her death, Koko still remains one of the most famous gorillas in history.
The Early Life Of Koko The Gorilla
Koko.org/YouTubeKoko the gorilla with researchers.
Koko the gorilla was born on July 4, 1971, at the San Francisco Zoo. Her full name, Hanabi-Ko, meaning “Fireworks Child” in Japanese, was chosen as the winner of a “name the baby gorilla” contest.
In 1972, Francine “Penny” Patterson, a Ph.D. candidate at Stanford University, began “Project Koko,” the first project to study the linguistic capabilities of gorillas. At first, Patterson taught Koko a few basic signs, such as “Food,” “Drink,” and “More,” using techniques like hand modeling.
After a couple of years of working with Koko at the zoo, Patterson transferred her to a compound on the Stanford University campus.
Then, in 1976, Dr. Patterson, alongside Dr. Ronald H. Cohn and Barbara F. Hiller, established The Gorilla Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of gorillas and other great apes. The foundation soon obtained custody of Koko.
Koko.org/YouTubePenny Patterson had a close relationship with Koko the gorilla until the great ape’s death.
In 1978, Koko made headlines after famed ethologist and chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall visited her in California and was impressed by her language skills and calm demeanor. By this point, Koko had already reportedly learned hundreds of signs from a modified version of American Sign Language, but she wasn’t done learning yet.
By the end of her life, Koko purportedly learned roughly 1,000 different signs and over 2,000 English words, making her one of the most promising examples of great ape language capabilities in history.
How Koko Demonstrated Her Remarkable Skills
Koko.org/YouTubeKoko with an alphabet book.
Koko the gorilla’s main claim to fame is undoubtedly her impressive signing skills. Beginning when Koko was just a year old, Patterson began modeling and molding simple signs. Other caretakers reinforced this learning by signing to each other in front of Koko and speaking the words as they were signed, so she could learn spoken English.
Much like a human child, Koko’s vocabulary reportedly grew the most when she was between 2.5 and 4.5 years old. In her 3rd year, Koko learned over 200 new signs. Alongside the simple words she learned at the beginning of her lessons, Koko eventually began to use emotional signs like “sad,” “love,” “good,” and “sorry,” as well as more complicated words like “obnoxious” and “toilet.” Sometimes, she even invented her own signs for words she did not know, such as compounding the sign for “scratch” with the sign for “comb” to mean “brush.”
It’s worth noting that some experts have questioned Koko the gorilla’s true linguistic capabilities, both while she was alive and after her death.
Some have pointed out that Koko couldn’t truly master American Sign Language, as gorilla hands are much bigger and move differently than human hands, preventing her from being able to do certain signs, but she could have learned modified signs. Others expressed even more skepticism, claiming that, at most, she could have “ritualized” the use of specific signs after being trained and prompted by her trainers.
Though it’s difficult to confirm how much actual communication came from Koko — and how much people may have projected themselves onto her — it’s clear that she was able to build powerful bonds with her caretakers. And her reputation as a “talkative” gorilla never waned.
Her popularity attracted visits from celebrities like Mister Rogers and Robin Williams, who enjoyed a heartfelt meeting with the gorilla in 2001.
During the meeting, Koko apparently felt so comfortable with Williams that she took off his glasses and tried them on — and later pulled him in for a big hug. The actor later raved about his encounter with Koko: “I recently had a mind-altering experience communicating with a gorilla. We shared something extraordinary: Laughter.”
Years later, in 2016, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers gave Koko a bass to play — not a terrible challenge for the animal, who had already demonstrated an ability to play the recorder back in 2012.
Besides her signing skills and apparent interest in music, Koko was also known for her love of other animals. Her most famous companion was a cat named All Ball, which she personally picked out in 1984. She also enjoyed the company of other kittens named Lipstick and Smoky.
The Gorilla FoundationKoko receiving a kitten from Patterson.
Koko was said to be a highly emotional animal. On one occasion, she destroyed a sink — and then reportedly used sign language to blame it on one of her kittens. When her beloved All Ball died after being hit by a car, the then-13-year-old gorilla demonstrated grief, signing the words “sad, frown, cry, bad” and making a hooting sound that she had once made when she was left alone in her cage as a baby.
“When we told Koko, she acted like she didn’t hear us for about 10 minutes. Then she started whimpering — a distinct hooting sound that gorillas make when they are sad. We all started crying together,” researcher Ronald Cohn told the New York Post.
Koko the gorilla’s ability to bond with others won the hearts of many, making her sudden death in 2018 all the more tragic.
Inside Koko The Gorilla’s Death
From 1979 onward, Koko the gorilla resided at her preserve in Woodside, California. The forested highlands provided a comfortable environment for Koko, along with other gorillas, including Michael, Koko’s mate who also received sign language instruction. After Michael died, Koko lived with another male gorilla named Ndume. Koko became pregnant at one point in time, but then she had a miscarriage.
Koko lived a largely peaceful life at the preserve, occasionally meeting celebrities and journalists who wanted to see her skills in person. Outside the preserve, the foundation continued to promote Koko’s abilities to bolster support for the protection of great apes all over the world. Meanwhile, her story appeared in several documentaries, including the 2016 TV movie Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks to People.
Toward the end of her life, Koko continued to communicate with her caretakers. Though some gorillas in captivity have lived to be over 50, Koko was already “showing age-related ailments” by age 46. And according to Patterson, Koko may have known that her death was near. The last time that Patterson saw Koko, Patterson recalled, “She was looking a little sad and worried, and she looked straight at me and held two signs. One was ‘patient’ and the second one was ‘old.'”
Then, on June 19, 2018, the world received the sad news of Koko the gorilla’s death. The 46-year-old gorilla had died of natural causes in her sleep that day, and despite Koko’s relatively advanced age, her caretakers were surprised and heartbroken by her sudden death.
“Koko touched the lives of millions as an ambassador for all gorillas and an icon for interspecies communication and empathy,” the foundation said in a statement. “She was beloved and will be deeply missed.”
Koko was buried at a gravesite in Woodside, California, near the dwelling she called home. A burial ceremony was held to honor her and allow her loved ones to say their final goodbyes, including Ndume.
The Gorilla Foundation honored Koko’s legacy by launching a sign language app featuring the famed animal. Despite Koko the gorilla’s death occurring years ago, she is still remembered as one of the most impressive and beloved gorillas ever raised in captivity.
“I think her legacy is going to be the fact that she changed the way people think about gorillas. And, in the broader sense, she has changed the way people think about animals,” Mitzi Phillips, a former volunteer at the foundation, said. “She lived a life that was so filled by people who genuinely loved her. That’s what made her so special.”
Next, read about Dian Fossey, the researcher and conservationist who gave her life to stop the poaching of gorillas. Then, check out some heartwarming photos of baby animals that will brighten your day.
