Koko, the Gorilla Who Learned Sign Language, Dies at 46

Koko, the gorilla whose remarkable ability to learn sign language and her maternal bond with domestic cats played a significant role in changing the world's perspective on animal intelligence and empathy, passed away at the age of 46. According to the Associated Press, Koko learned sign language from childhood as a subject of scientific research and gradually acquired over a thousand words, equivalent to the vocabulary of a young child. She became a famous star, appearing alongside actors like William Shatner, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Robin Williams. In her habitat, where she was treated like a queen, she wore Robin Williams' glasses or donned clothes of other actors around her. Through these actions, she showed the American public that a large monkey is not necessarily scary and just wants affection. The Gorilla Foundation announced that this 127-kilogram gorilla, belonging to the western lowland gorilla species, died on Tuesday at the protected wildlife park of the foundation located in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. Koko was not the first animal to learn sign language and communicate, but she became the most famous through the publication of books about her and her appearances in the media; however, there were disagreements in the scientific community about the depth and human-like nature of Koko's communication. Koko appeared in many documentaries, including a PBS documentary in 2015 and two National Geographic documentaries. A photo taken by Koko herself was featured on the cover of one issue of National Geographic. Frans de Waal, a primate researcher at Emory University, said on Thursday, 'Koko, like all monkeys, was really smart and at the same time very sensitive. Many people did not expect such a creature, like King Kong, which is portrayed as dangerous and powerful in films.' He added, 'Koko positively changed the perception of monkeys, especially gorillas, through the publication of books like Koko's Kittens, which many children may have grown up with. This positive and kind perception of monkeys in public opinion was new and a significant advancement.' Koko watched films and television, and her caregivers say her favorite book was 'Three Little Kittens,' her favorite movies were 'Dr. Dolittle' starring Eddie Murphy and 'Free Willy,' and her favorite TV show was 'Wild Kingdom.' For her 25th birthday, she requested a box of plastic snakes. Even in 1996, she requested to become a mother. Despite her caregivers' efforts to establish a relationship with male gorillas, she never became a mother and instead had several kittens as pets. Koko's original name was Hanabi-Ko, which means 'child of fireworks' in Japanese. Koko was born on July 4, 1971, at the San Francisco Zoo.