![]() Riopelle in the March 1967 and October 1970 issues of National Geographic.)īut Koko responds to more complicated motivations too. (Aided by National Geographic Society research grants, studies of the first captive white gorilla, Snowflake, were described by Tulane University primate specialist Dr. ![]() Seeing a horse with a bit in its mouth, she signed, “Horse sad.” When asked why the horse was sad, she signed, “Teeth.” Shown a photo of the famous albino gorilla Snowflake struggling against having a bath, Koko, who also hates baths, signed “Me cry there,” while pointing at the picture. Take Koko's touching empathy toward fellow animals. Through mastery of sign language-the familiar hand speech of the deaf-Koko has made us, her human companions, aware not only that her breed is bright, but also that it shares sensitivities commonly held to be the prerogative of people. She is the focus of my career as a developmental psychologist, and also has become a dear friend. We are presenting this article as originally published the science within may not be up-to-date. ![]() To honor Koko's memory, National Geographic is republishing "Conversations With a Gorilla," our October 1978 cover story written by Francine Patterson, the psychologist who taught Koko how to sign.Ĭurrent research paints a more complicated picture of primate sign language than was understood in the 1970s. Editor's note: Koko the gorilla, an ambassador for her species famous for learning sign language, has died at the age of 46.
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