Dear Friend,

The above video features some of my favorite interactions with Koko.  It was filmed in 2001 and shows us playing and enjoying each other’s company in many different ways.  

From role-playing with toy alligators, to Koko sitting on my lap (without bearing her full weight) to a drumming session which leaves us both laughing hysterically, Koko and I really enjoyed each other’s company!

The above video shows that Koko understood imaginative play, could laugh, and had a sense of humor — concepts that are important aspects of our research into the potential of interspecies communication for both gorilla conservation and care.

This footage is part of our KokoArc digital video archive, and represents a small part of the voluminous data we’ll be using to advance our mission of conservation through communication. 

It will also be uploaded to our new Koko Signs app, as one of many Conversation videos intended to help you learn sign language from Koko.   If you haven’t installed the app yet, you can use the following links on your iphone or android to get the Koko Signs app today …

Koko’s life was filled with joy, and it was only through joyful, playful interactions like these that we were able to accomplish so much together.

We continue to miss Koko very much, and feel her presence every day!

Thanks to thousands of hours of research videos like this we can relive some of the most compelling moments of Project Koko again, and learn things that we may have missed the first time around..

With gratitude and Koko-inspired hope for the future,

Dr. Penny Patterson
President, CEO and Founder
The Gorilla Foundation / Koko.org

Conservation through Communication

The Gorilla Foundation     PO Box 620530,  Woodside, CA  94062
1-800-ME-GO-APE     [email protected]
The Gorilla Foundation is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit
Federal Tax ID: 942-38-6151