She became a global sensation and earned the cover spot of the 1976 edition of National Geographic. She also had about 1,000 additional signs for what Patterson refers to as, “Gorilla Sign Language”. She was able to add over 2,000 English words to her vocabulary and could capably communicate with Patterson and others involved. Koko died at the age of 46 in June of 2018 in her sleep. Following Koko’s death this was a question I asked myself. In an attempt to communicate with the great ape, they started teaching Koko American Sign Language. Answer (1 of 3): I was a big fan of Koko the gorilla and a member of the Gorilla Foundation. Koko the gorilla, who has died at the age of 46, was famed for her communication skills and her mastery of sign language.Taught by animal psychologist Francine 'Penny' Patterson and others since.
With all due respect to Naomi Watts and Charlize Teron, no human has ever formed a bond with a gorilla quite like Francine Penny Patterson. It was there that she met her best friend, Francine “Penny” Patterson, a psychology student at Stanford conducting an experiment for her Ph.D. In 1976, she was transferred to The Gorilla Foundation preserve in the mountains of Santa Cruz. Her original name was Hanabi-ko, which appropriately translates to, “fireworks child” in Japanese. With a medley of fireworks in the background, the Western lowland gorilla quite literally came in with a bang. We hope this video will lift her spirits and remind everyone of the profound gift of joy that Robin Williams brought to our world.” The video currently sports 5.5 million views.The legend of Koko began on the 4th of July, 1971 at the San Francisco Zoo. 11, 2014),” the video description reads, “she became very sad. The Gorilla Foundation says the 46-year-old western lowland gorilla died in her sleep at the foundation's preserve in California's Santa Cruz mountains on Tuesday. In 1971, Penny Patterson, a graduate student at Stanford University, met Koko, a new-born gorilla in San Francisco Zoo. “When Koko learned of Robin’s passing (on Aug. Explore the story of Penny Patterson and Koko the gorilla. The Gorilla Foundation posted footage of the meeting to their YouTube channel following Williams’ untimely death. Her encounter with Williams, in which the two tickle and chase each other, laughing together, received national attention and became a part of Williams’ stand-up routine. Koko was visited by several high-profile celebrities in the late ‘90s and early aughts, most notably Fred Rogers and Robin Williams. After her unique grasp of human language and behavior landed her on the cover of National Geographic in both 19, her love of kittens and subsequent kitten adoption made her a viral celebrity of the pre-YouTube era. Koko became a pop-culture phenomenon through the late 20th and early 21st century. Near the end of their first play date, the gorilla signed, Koko love, at the late actor and comedian. Koko even returned the favor, reaching under Williams’ T-shirt to tickle and pinch him. The Gorilla Foundation is in the process of digitizing our entire 50-year Project Koko (Interspecies Communication) Research Archive, so that all of our data (videos, coded notes, art, etc.) are protected, preserved and shared with both other researchers and the general public. According to the Smithsonian, western lowland gorillas can live into their 50s in captivity, though such a long life is rare. When they met, the gorilla, who was then 30 years old, took an instant liking to Williams, asking him repeatedly to tickle her. Koko, a western lowland gorilla who bridged the gap between wildlife and humans, died in her sleep Tuesday, according to her host organization, The Gorilla Foundation.