Press Release

Primate Ambassador Koko extends a regal hand to Japanese Royals and
urges a new generation of world leaders to save her relatives at the
Children’s World Summit for the Environment, July 26-29, 2005

Aichi, Japan – July 28, 2005. Koko, the world’s only talking gorilla, is using her established celebrity status to send a compelling message to Japan where a new generation of world leaders and politicians are being urged to help save her relatives from extinction. Wildlife conservationist, Aleisha Caruso, will convey Koko’s message through an interactive multimedia workshop entitled “Meet Koko — Ambassador for Endangered Species” at the Children’s World Summit for the Environment in Aichi, Japan on July 28, 2005.

Koko the gorilla first made world headlines about 25 years ago when she mastered human sign language and launched a new career – as the ambassador for endangered animals everywhere. This two-hour multimedia workshop will give the children attending the Summit an opportunity to learn about the plight of gorillas and great apes directly through Koko (and her late companion signing gorilla, Michael) as well as to learn some of Koko’s language — American Sign Language (ASL) — to help overcome international language barriers in appealing for the world to help save the species.

The 34-year-old primate — who has a vocabulary of over 1,000 signs (in American Sign Language), understands over 2000 words of spoken English and has appeared on the internet where she wowed more than 20,000 website visitors with her thoughts on life, love and dreams — has her own ambassadorial message for the Children’s World Summit for the Environment in Japan.
“People need to Hurry,” instructs Koko in her message to more than 1000 schoolchildren attending the summit in Aichi to discuss their concerns on environmental issues and the future of their planet. Addressing children from 150 countries, Koko is the perfect advocate for endangered species – highlighting the need for urgent action to preserve a fragile eco-system where more than 70 species are lost each day.

“We both have the same message,” says Ms. Caruso, the 28-year-old Australian ambassador to the United Nations Great Ape Survival Project (GRASP) who has worked tirelessly giving endangered animals a voice. “We want to make the new generation of world leaders, politicians and compassionate adults aware of the desperate need to protect a species in danger of extinction.”

Schoolchildren joining their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Akishino at the four day event staged by the Japanese Government and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), will get a glimpse of some of the endearing characteristics of this gentle primate which Ms. Caruso has witnessed often in her jungle rescue work at sanctuaries and orphanages. Koko – who has enjoyed private meetings with Hollywood actors Robin Williams and Leonardo Di Caprio – will give new insight into the intelligent, gentle personalities of a species now facing extinction.

“Koko and her relatives share 98% of our DNA,” explains Ms. Caruso, whose tireless campaign to raise global awareness about the threats facing the great ape population resulted in a powerful new alliance with GRASP as its Australian ambassador. “So this is a fantastic opportunity for everyone to meet her (at least virtually) because she’s the only gorilla in the world able to communicate with human beings,” she explains.

Using sign language, Koko will communicate about her life, hopes and dreams which include her desire to have a baby and her love for her pet kitten. “I cannot overemphasize how important it is for us to help Koko have a baby (whether natural or adopted) so that she can teach her offspring sign language and thus ensure that her unique ambassadorship and advocacy for her species is sustained through subsequent generations,” adds Ms. Caruso.

The astonishing gorilla has already addressed more than 20,000 people via the world’s only inter-species Internet chats - enthralling fans with her intelligence and revelations that she loves reggae music, romantic movies and video dating. Koko has such a strong sense of identity that she refers to herself as “fine animal person gorilla.”

“She’s the greatest ambassador for her species,” says Ms. Caruso, ”because she can speak to us in our own language. She’s gentle, loving and smart with an IQ of between 70 and 95. And she’s self-aware and funny, even laughing at her own jokes and making up her own words like “eye hat” for ”mask.”

But while Koko dances when she’s happy and laughs when she’s tickled, Koko signed “sad” when her human caregivers discussed the troubles facing her free-living relatives in Africa.

Tragically, gorillas are just one example of the many animal species under threat of extinction from illegal poaching, devastation of habitat and escalating illegal international trade in wildlife products. In particular, gorillas and other great apes have become innocent victims of the growing illegal “bushmeat” trade, fueled by the human appetite for construction materials and exotic minerals used in cell phones.
Now, in an age where fewer than 700 mountain gorillas exist in Africa, and thousands of western lowland gorillas (like Koko and Michael) are being killed each year by bushmeat poachers, it is hoped that Koko will be able to persuade children to help protect endangered animals everywhere.

“Extinction is forever, and it would be tragic to imagine living in a world without fellow sentient beings like Koko,” warns Dr. Penny Patterson, President and Director of Research for The Gorilla Foundation, the California-based non-profit that has raised, educated and cared for Koko for over 30 years. “But there’s still time, perhaps a decade or two at most, to save gorillas and all of the other great apes from being eliminated by their closest living relatives — humans, if we simply make a conscious effort to show them at least as much kindness as they show us. They have so much to teach us about adapting to nature, communication between species and our role as stewards — not plunderers — of planet Earth.”

“Simply raising awareness about conservation facts and principles doesn’t seem to work,” Dr. Patterson observes, “only empathy for other species can save them — and Koko engenders that empathy. Her role in great ape conservation has become imperative, and we’re thrilled that so many future leaders are going to meet her at this world conference. The rest of the world can get acquainted with Koko by visiting www.Koko.org.”