Dear Friend,
As we were looking through our newly digitized archival footage (KokoArc), we found some wonderful clips of gorillas Koko and MIchael enjoying their large outdoor yard — the space, the foliage, the play equipment, the weather and each other — and we thought it would be nice to share some of it with you.
The gorillas' environment gives context to the kinds of things they communicate about, and a large, natural habitat, monitored by loving caregivers, without the stress of unfamiliar visitors, creates a comfort level that makes interspecies communication fun and even enlightening ...
Video Summary:
"KOKO & MICHAEL LOVED THE OUTDOORS"
In In these video clips filmed between 1988-1991 Koko and her companion Michael (raised with Koko from the age of 3) spend time together in their new, large outdoor enclosure. In addition to their indoor bedrooms and playrooms, the gorillas spent many hours every day in this outdoor space located in a densely forested area in the Santa Cruz mountains.
The large (quarter-acre) yard was designed for the gorillas to be able to use all of the enclosed space — all 3 dimensions, by climbing the mesh, playground equipment and trees within. In the video, in addition to climbing, Michael is using the branches of a cut tree to build a nest around himself which free-living gorillas do in their native habitats. The site was built on a former orchard, and contains lots of edible foliage such as persimmon, plum and apple.
In the above video, Penny hands Michael some persimmon leaves fresh from the trees. Over the years, we added more features to their outdoor space, such as shelves, platforms, cargo nets, and a fire hose curtain, which provided both enrichment and privacy for the gorillas. Koko had a favorite shelf, where she would often enjoy her breakfast, and another shelf with a nice forest/ocean view.
Thus, Koko and Michael were able to enjoy lots of quiet time outside in a natural setting, with caregivers nearby, available to provide additional food, enrichment or conversation.
Signs:
00:01:02 Koko signs “This” to the clip holding up the cargo net
00:01:13 Koko signs “Lip” (her sign for a female) to a caregiver on the ground outside the mesh that she then climbs down to visit.
Video Credits
The above video KokoArc video features 4-minutes of related clips from 2 full-length videos, filmed in 1988 and 1991, when Koko was 17 and 20 years old, respectively:
— Video #567: 1988; opening scenes in the large yard
— Video #684: Michael nesting, and Michael and Koko climbing
Both videos were filmed by Dr. Ronald Cohn, TGF's Chief Documentarian and co-founder. The musical background is an original piece by the amazing guitarist Matteo Mancuso.
What's Next?
Stay tuned for more KokoArc videos from all stages of gorillas Koko, Michael and Ndume's lives, featuring interspecies communication, their environment, their behaviors, and their relationships with each other, their caregivers and various celebrity personalities who would occasionally visit to get to know them first-hand.
Only by increasing our understanding of gorillas can we motivate improved conditions for them in captivity and establish the empathy needed to protect them from extinction in Africa.
Sincere thanks for joining us on this exciting and enlightening journey made possible by interspecies communication! |
