Dear Koko Supporter,

In this video, I bring a bowlful of kittens to visit Koko.

She comments that one looks remarkably like her first kitten, All Ball (or Ball for short) — except that Ball was tailless.

Koko never forgot Ball, who was lost to a tragic road accident, and she always commented about him whenever she saw a cat who looked like Ball.

Even though Koko loved her first kitten deeply, she had enough love left in her heart to adopt several other kittens throughout her life. Kittens like Lips Lipstick (aka Lips), Spider, and Smoky, all of whom she named, using sign language. Smoky, who used to like to rest on Koko’s head, lived to the ripe old age (for a cat).of 18.

And that’s what Koko is perhaps known best for — besides learning sign language to communicate with us — being kind to kittens and becoming their caregiver.

It changed people’s mindset about gorillas — from King Kong to Koko’s Kitten (which became an award-winning illustrated book and video that you can purchase on our website, or read for free on our new Koko Signs app).

Stay tuned for another episode of Koko’s Video News updates next week, as we explore Koko’s amazing acquisition of sign language, and use of it to express her often surprising thoughts and feelings.

Conservation through Communication

The Gorilla Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Our Federal Tax ID is: 942-38-6151