Koko (gorilla)

Categories: 1971 births | Animal intelligence | Famous apes

Image:Koko.jpg

Koko (born July 4, 1971, in San Francisco, California) is the name of a captive, acculturated gorilla trained by Dr. Francine 'Penny' Patterson and other scientists at Stanford University to allegedly communicate more than 1,000 signs based on American Sign Language. She has lived most of her life in Woodside, California, but plans for a move to a sanctuary at Maui, Hawaii are nearing attainment. She was also the inspiration for Amy, the 'talking' ape, in the Michael Crichton book Congo.

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Use of language

Some scientists assert Koko's use of signs, and her actions consistent with her use of signs, indicate she has mastered the use of language. Other scientists dismiss such conclusions, contending she does not understand the meaning behind what she is doing, but learns to complete the signs simply because the researchers reward her for doing so, representing her actions as a result of operant conditioning. Such debate requires careful consideration of what it means to 'learn' or 'use' a language (see Animal language for further discussion).

Koko's training began at the age of one. Dr. Patterson eventually assessed Koko's vocabulary at over 1,000 signs.

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Preeminent non-human language-user

Koko is among the most proficient non-human users of language. Gorillas and bonobos (a subspecies of chimpanzees) are relatively adept with certain forms of communication, whereas common chimpanzees and orangutans tend toward mastery of manual skills, including brachiation.

Image:Koko kitten 1985.jpg
Koko with one of her kittens.

Michael, a gorilla who lived with Koko for several years, also developed a broad vocabulary of signs, but did not become as proficient in this realm of intellect before passing away. Other well-known signing apes include chimpanzees Nim Chimpsky and Washoe, the bonobo Kanzi, and the Orangutan Chantek.

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Koko's cats

Koko is also one of the only non-humans known to keep pets of a different species: she has cared for several cats over the years - see All Ball.

Koko is not the first non-human known to keep a pet of a different species. She is not even the only gorilla known to have done so. In 1931, Mrs. A. Maria Hoyt, the wife of a big-game hunter, adopted a baby female gorilla orphaned in a hunt in French Equatorial Africa. She named the baby Toto and raised her as much like a human baby as possible. The Hoyts relocated from America to Havana, Cuba, in order to give Toto a tropical home. At the age of four or five, Toto adopted a kitten and carried it with her everywhere. There are photos of the two of them together, showing Toto cuddling the now-adult cat to her chest. Toto eventually became too difficult for a private keeper to manage and was sold to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus as a potential mate for another pet-turned-circus-performer gorilla, Gargantua, aka Buddy. (Toto never took to him.) Mrs. Hoyt, by now a widow, travelled with the circus, unable to let Toto out of her life. Toto died in 1968; Mrs. Hoyt was killed in an auto accident the following year. See Toto and I: A Gorilla in the Family (1941) by A. Maria Hoyt. Also Eve & the Apes (1988) by Emily Hahn.

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Media darling

Many documentaries have been made on Koko, including Koko–A Talking Gorilla (1977). On April 27, 1998, Koko held an online chat live on AOL.

In August 2004, Koko was in the news again due to a toothache. She communicated that she was in pain, and according to her handlers was able to indicate her pain level on a scale of 1 to 10. [1]

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See also

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References

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External links

  • ApeNet.org - 'ApeNet: a consortium of foundations and individuals who support interconnecting great apes with each other, as well as with humans, through enculturation and technology'
  • GeoCities.com - 'An Internet Chat with Koko the Gorilla' (transcript of AOL chat, April 27, 1998)
  • GorillaFund.org - 'Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International' (DFGFI)
  • Koko.org - The Gorilla Foundation: Conservation through Communication'
  • SFGate.com - 'Gorilla Foundation rocked by breast display lawsuit: Former employees say they were told to expose chests', Patricia Yollin, San Francisco Chronicle (February 18, 2005)
  • Stanford.edu - When Koko the gorilla needs a checkup, Stanford docs swing into action', Mitzi Baker
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Online video

fi:Koko (gorilla)