Koko is a gorilla's best friend, as well as ours.
In this public service announcement, Koko makes a plea to save her species from extinction. Koko is keenly aware of the plight of gorillas in Africa, as Dr. Patterson and other staff have discussed it with her. It is not the number of gorillas left in Africa that troubles Koko, it is the way they are being hunted (and eaten) and driven into extinction by US that alarms her. Koko has been treated very nicely by humans, and she has a hard time understanding why all humans don’t understand the gorillas are “polite” (in Koko’s own signed words).
Moreover, since the recent news that “additional gorillas” have been discovered in an isolated swampy region of the Republic of Congo, some people have assumed that gorillas are now less endangered. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Gorillas throughout central Africa continue to be hunted at alarming rates for bushmeat. And the newly revealed gorillas have become a new target. So Koko’s job as ambassador has now increased in responsibility. YOU can help: Donate at Koko.org.
