Koko.org / Empathy

Koko Responds to a Sad Movie

Koko reminds us every day just how alike we are. Here she shows us once again as she is watching a DVD of a movie on her TV that she has seen several times. It is called Tea with Mussolini. When it comes to a heart-tugging scene where the boy has to say goodbye to loved ones, he waves from the train, and Koko turns away from the TV. She didn't want to see the sad part. She then proceeds to sign, "Good...smile. Frown...sad. Cry. Bad...trouble. Mother...love." Her eyes also looked very watery (gorillas can cry too).

There is mounting scientific evidence that great apes can feel empathy for others. This example points to the possibility that gorillas, in particular, may also be able to empathize with fictional human characters portrayed by actors—or at least be moved by them.

Help us continue our research on interspecies empathy: it just may save the species!

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Another Example of Interspecies Empathy:

See Betty White's meeting with Koko
and learn why she refers to it as
the greatest moment of her life.

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