‘An icon for inter-species communication’: Koko, the gorilla who knew sign language, dies at 46
She could apparently understand about 2,000 words of spoken English and was said to have an intelligence quotient between 75 and 95.
Koko, the gorilla who mastered the American Sign Language, has died, the Gorilla Foundation announced on Wednesday. The 46-year-old western lowland gorilla died in its sleep at the foundation’s preserve in California’s Santa Cruz mountains on Tuesday.
“Koko touched the lives of millions as an ambassador for all gorillas and an icon for inter-species communication and empathy,” the foundation said. “She was beloved and will be deeply missed.”
Koko was born at the San Francisco Zoo in 1971, and Dr Francine Patterson began teaching it sign language, which eventually became part of a Stanford University project in 1974. The gorilla could apparently understand about 2,000 words of spoken English and was said to have an intelligence quotient between 75 and 95, BBC reported.
She adopted and named pets, including a kitten she called All Ball. The National Geographic issue in January 1985 featured their story. Following the article, a book called Koko’s Kitten was published and it continues to be used in elementary schools worldwide, the foundation said.