Thursday, 21 June 2018

Koko the Gorilla Passes Away At 46

Koko the Gorilla 03Koko the Gorilla 04
Gorilla Koko first made headlines for her use of sign language to communicate in the late 1970s. 
She was featured on the cover of National Geographic -- in a photo that she herself had taken using a mirror.
Some famous deaths come out of nowhere and hit us when we least expect them.
It is with heavy hearts that we announce that Koko, the gorilla who communicated learning sign language, has passed away.

Koko was 46, but her impact on our understanding of gorillas will endure for countless generations.
"The Gorilla Foundation is sad to announce the passing of our beloved Koko," the foundation announced in a grim statement.

Koko, they report, passed away in her sleep on Tuesday morning.
The Gorilla Foundation adds: "Her impact has been profound and what she has taught us about the emotional capacity of gorillas and their cognitive abilities will continue to shape the world."

Koko was famous for her use of GSL -- Gorilla Sign Language, a version of sign language adapted for a gorilla's motor capabilities and hand shape.

She reportedly knew as many as 1,000 signs and, having been exposed to human speech from birth, knew and understood 2,000 English words.
At her birth at the San Francisco Zoo, Koko was named "Hanabi-ko," which is Japanese for "Fireworks Child."

She was born on July 4, thus her name, in 1971.
She was 46 years old at the time of her death.

Wild gorillas are believed to have a natural life expectancy of 40 to 45 years. 
The St. Louis Zoo says that Western lowland gorillas like Koko can potentially live for as long as 50 years, but to live so long, in the wild or captivity, is rare.


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