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| CARE:
Eat
Like a Gorilla for a Day |
| It may surprise
you how much variety, nutrition and choice gorillas Koko
and Ndume are given in their diets at the Gorilla Foundation.
For most gorillas (like people), food is a very important
part of their day (often the highlight); so our gorilla
caregivers and produce volunteers make food and meal preparation
one of their highest priorities. Learn
more |
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RESEARCH: Do
Gorillas Have their Own Language |
| What can we
learn about the origins of language by comparing the gestures
of zoo gorillas to those created spontaneously by Koko,
a gorilla who has learned sign language? Drs. Penny Patterson
and Joanne Tanner address this question in their latest
scientific publication based on a multi-year study.
Learn more |
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EDUCATION:
New Powerpoint CD for Teachers |
| The Gorilla
Foundation has decided to share our multimedia Powerpoint
educational CD: "Meet Koko, Ambassador for Endangered
Species": with a limited number of K-12 teachers
to help us evaluate and improve it. If you are interested
in getting a copy (FREE), please email schoolpres@koko.org,
and we will email you a simple application form soon. |
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| CONSERVATION:
"Michael
Sanctuary" Update |
| The Michael
Sanctuary for gorillas orphaned by the Bushmeat Crisis
in Cameroon, Africa was founded in 2001 through the generosity
of Gorilla Foundation donors. It was named after Koko's
late signing silverback companion, Michael. Today, the
young orphan gorillas are thriving and growing and in
need of more space.
Learn more |
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TEAM:
Please Welcome Janis, Matt
and Tyler |
| The Gorilla
Foundation's staff is expanding and shifting to meet our
ever-increasing internal and external demands for organizational
efficiency and effectiveness. Recently, we've been fortunate
to find some real gems: Janis
Westerly (left), Matt
Wind (center) and Tyler
Robertson. (There are still a few job
openings for the right people.) |
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| "Koko
Learns a New Sign" (1 min.) |
Summary |
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Koko
has a vocabulary of over 1000 signs (American Sign Language)
most of which she learned during the first few years of
the project. However, she continues to learn (and occasionally
invent) new signs, to improve her ability to communicate
with her caregivers. In this video clip, the sign for"butterfly"
comes up in the course of a conversation between Penny
and Koko, and Penny demonstrates the sign to her. It is
not a very easy sign for a gorilla to make, because of
the thumb dexterity required. Nevertheless Koko makes
a modest attempt.
The Gorilla Foundation will be sharing more of these ongoing
"conversations with Koko" in a new web feature
called KokoFlix, coming soon. |
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You
can help us accomplish all of the above projects and more, and
ensure the future of Koko and her species,
by making a tax-deductible donation to The Gorilla Foundation.
Receive a
free 8x10 Photo of "Koko Enjoying the Earth"
when you make a donation |
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The Gorilla Foundation is a non-profit
501(c)3 organization dedicated to conservation through communication.
For more than 30 years we have been performing groundbreaking research
in interspecies communication, learning from Koko and other gorillas
through sign language, and teaching what we've learned to foster conservation
around the world. All donations are tax-deductible to the
extent allowable by law.