That last bit was always very tricky for me as a kid who loved nothing more than a juicy charbroiled cheeseburger. Now Koko has upped the ante on her relevance for humanity.
Her keen insights into the imminent environmental devastation wrought by global warming seem particularly prescient in the Trump age. Apparently, Koko, who was taught sign language at the wee age of 1 and who has repeatedly demonstrated her empathy skills by adopting more than one kitten over the years, has now turned her attention to the destruction of the planet.
In fact, what really freaks me out is that she seems to be trying to mother us, to prod us along into doing the right thing as though we are not-very-gifted children, which indeed may be the case, no? Western lowland gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla represent one of two subspecies of western gorillas Gorilla gorilla , and though they are a protected species, they are still vulnerable to poaching and habitat destruction from human activity, the International Union for Conservation of Nature reported.
In fact, conservation scientists warn that if current threats to western lowland gorillas continue unchecked, half their populations could vanish by Koko herself had some very choice words to share about humans and their impact on the planet, which were incorporated into a song about climate change titled "Man Stupid," created in collaboration with the Laurel Canyon Animal Company and posted to YouTube in January Koko was born at the San Francisco Zoo on July 4, , and when she was only 1 year old, she was introduced to Francine "Penny" Patterson, now the president and director of research at TGF.
Patterson, who was then a doctoral candidate in developmental psychology at Stanford University in California, began teaching the young primate a modified form of American Sign Language , initiating what would become the longest interspecies communication study in history, according to TGF.
Patterson maintained a close relationship with Koko until the end of the gorilla's life, continuing to converse with her, observe and record her behavior, and even prepare her meals, Radio Times reported in The first symbols that Patterson taught Koko to sign were "eat," "drink" and "more," and over the years, Koko accumulated hundreds of words that she could combine into phrases. Psychology, published in Slate magazine in Koko was not the only ape to be used in communication studies.
It was a fad for some years, and other primates were also made to live in close relationship with human teachers, but over time this kind of experimentation became less popular. Even as the research ended, though, the apes remained. In their post-research lives, these apes, like child stars that peaked early in life, were left to live out their days in less glamorous environments. Apes have been sent around to various private collections and zoos, and, if lucky, ended up in sanctuaries. A former caregiver reported that Koko spent a lot of her time in her small trailer watching TV, hardly as rewarding as a free life would be even with its inherent stresses.
Concern was also expressed about the care of a male gorilla named Ndume, who had been brought from the Cincinnati Zoo to impregnate Koko. The two gorillas did not form a mating relationship, and no baby was born. Yet Ndume stayed on, apparently receiving less care and attention than was given to Koko.
The USDA recommends gorillas be tested every year. Perhaps we should not blame Dr. And, Dr. Nevertheless, if you still believe that there is some great achievement in what was done with and to Koko, Ndume, and others please take the time to read the Slate article, link provided below.
And consider this; numerous people who work in animal sanctuaries, those who rehabilitate and release wild animals, or who rescue and provide for animals in need can explain in great detail how emotionally developed animals are, and how each species has their own unique form of intelligence and communication. Caring people who engage with animals to help them have known this for decades. Koko should have been free. She should have lived among her own kind.
Instead she was an experiment. Koko deserves to be remembered for who she really was, an exploited being made to live in the service of humans.
She was provided some pleasures and may have indeed been treated with genuine love, but was denied her true destiny as a mature, free being. No more animals in zoos.
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