In 2018, a gorilla named Koko passed away in Woodside, California, where she lived. This made headlines worldwide because Koko, at 46, had become a famous figure in the 1980s and 1990s. Surprisingly, she had celebrity friends like William Shatner, Fred Rogers, and Robin Williams.
Koko, born in 1971 at San Francisco Zoo, was raised by Francine “Penny” Patterson, a doctoral student at Stanford University. Penny taught Koko to use sign language, making her a “talking gorilla” and a well-known personality. National Geographic featured her in documentaries and front-page articles, even showing her with a pet kitten.
Koko was famous for learning American Sign Language to communicate silently. But she had also learned some simple sounds that challenge the idea that only humans can speak. Marcus Perlman started studying Koko’s gestures at The Gorilla Foundation in California in 2010. Instead, he discovered that Koko could make unique vocal and breathing sounds. (Source)
Decades ago, people believed that apes couldn’t control their vocalizations or breathing voluntarily. The thinking was that apes’ calls were automatic responses to their environment. This idea supported the belief that only humans could learn new vocal and breathing behaviors.
However, Perlman’s study of Koko, published in the journal Animal Cognition, found nine different voluntary behaviors that Koko learned, not part of the typical gorilla repertoire. These behaviors included blowing a raspberry for treats, blowing her nose, playing wind instruments, and mimicking phone conversations. Koko could even cough on command, a feat requiring larynx control.
Perlman believed these learned behaviors suggest that apes, under the right conditions, can have flexible control over their vocal tract. While not as refined as human control, it challenges the notion that only humans evolved speech. This insight comes from Koko’s interactions with humans since she was six months old.
Perlman suggests that Koko’s abilities indicate some groundwork for speech that existed in the common ancestor of humans and gorillas around 10 million years ago. This challenges the idea that speech evolved uniquely in humans. Perlman also noted that orangutans have demonstrated similar vocal and breathing abilities, suggesting these skills may be present in the entire great ape family.”
After six years since Koko passed away, many still remember her. Videos show her taking Robin Williams’ wallet, holding a kitten, or playing Flea’s bass guitar. These moments are not just on the internet but also in our minds. Koko could use sign language, making her one of the first great apes to do so. This gave us a glimpse into what it might be like to ‘talk to the animals,’ like Doctor Dolittle.
Penny Patterson, the psychologist who trained Koko, said, ‘This was my dream job.’ Working with Koko was exciting because it felt like a ‘strong contribution to knowledge about our ancestry and our relatedness to the great apes.’
However, Koko’s story is more complex than people realize. Ann Southcombe, who worked on the Koko project, said, ‘Koko sacrificed her gorilla-ness to be in that project. That’s what kind of broke my heart.’
In the podcast ‘A Show About Animals,’ VICE News explored the 1970s ape language studies. These studies aimed to show that animals, like humans, could use language. Yet, they revealed that trying to make animals behave like us could be harmful.
Herbert Terrace, a psychology professor at Columbia University, said, ‘We all project onto animals all kinds of human attitudes. But it’s all projection.’ The podcast discussed Koko’s story, the scientific rivalry in the 1970s ape language studies, and the aftermath, including Nim Chimpsky’s mistreatment and the controversies around Project Koko.
Koko was adored worldwide, but behind the touching moments is a bigger debate affecting how science is conducted today. Federico Rossano, a cognitive scientist, notes that even now, the fallout from Project Koko influences animal research.
Despite warnings, people still wonder: Can an ape learn a human language? Was it real? Did people fluent in American Sign Language understand these apes? Or did the scientists expect too much? Did some researchers lose themselves in the dream they created?”
Koko: A Famous Prisoner
In the podcast “Fine Gorilla Person,” Lauren Ober explores a darker side of Koko’s life. Despite her fame, Koko died depressed, overweight, and described as “a shell of a gorilla.” The podcast discussed the cost of a science experiment spanning over four decades.
The series begins with Koko undergoing an operation for a gastric issue. Oddly, a ball and plastic food packaging were found in her stomach. Vets considered the operation successful, but Penny Patterson disagreed, claiming there was still debris, and Koko was seriously ill. Some described Penny’s relationship with Koko as mother-daughter, while others saw Penny as an eccentric character dedicated to her unusual work.
The podcast avoids sentimentality and uses a balanced tone of cool analysis and incredulity. In one episode, it discusses Koko attempting to remove the shirts of visitors, leading to sexual harassment lawsuits. The story becomes dispiriting when it reveals that Project Koko contributed little to understanding gorillas. Patterson caught up in celebrity, lost sight of scientific goals, and Koko became a symbol of a culture claiming to love animals but failing to act in their best interests.
Lauren Ober notes with dismay how Koko, in a way, became a link between her kind and ours, highlighting the gap between claiming to love animals and the reality of their treatment in a world that expects them to behave like humans. (Source)
Animal Alliance Of Canada wrote: Koko did not “give” us anything but much was “taken” from her. She had no choice in how her life unfolded. She was an exploited being, just like all captives.
One article about Koko stands out, a well-researched and detailed article written by Dr. Jane C. Hu, Ph.D. Psychology, published in Slate magazine in 2014. This article, titled “What Do Talking Apes Really Tell Us? The Strange, disturbing world of Koko the Gorilla and Kanzi the Bonobo,” tells a much darker story of Koko’s life.
From the article written by Jane C. Hu:
“Criticisms of ape language studies wore down researchers, and projects fizzled out as the humans in charge lost interest in defending their research, being full-time ape parents, and securing ever-more elusive funding to continue the projects. Even as the research ended, though, the apes remained. Depending on apes’ species and gender, the average lifespan for wild apes is between 30 and 50 years, and they often live even longer in captivity. 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.”
“In 2012, several former employees told the apes’ issues blogger Forsythe that Ndume had not been receiving proper care for years, and Forsythe sent an email to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services branch of the USDA asking for confirmation that the gorillas were properly cared for. A month later, the USDA reported that certain aspects of Ndume’s care had been neglected, including the fact that he had not been TB tested in more than 20 years. (The USDA recommends gorillas be tested every year.)”
And yes, Koko probably never understood Climate Change. This video was released during the COP21 Climate Conference where Koko signs about the importance of protecting nature and urges COP21 participants to include “preservation of biodiversity” in their agreement. (Source)
However, some experts, like Herbert Terrace from Columbia University’s Primate Cognition Lab, criticize the video as “highly misleading.” Terrace argued that we don’t know what Koko’s trainer signed to her before she made the signs attributed to her. The video suggests that Koko was briefed on climate change with a National Geographic issue, allowed to improvise, and was clear about the main message.
Barbara King, a professor at the College of William and Mary, who has studied monkeys and apes, acknowledges Koko’s ability to understand and express isolated signs. Still, she believes there’s a significant gap between Koko’s basic linguistic skills and the understanding of complex ecological ideas. King argued that there’s no evidence supporting Koko’s ability to grasp concepts like climate change and biodiversity.
Frans de Waal, director of Emory University’s Living Links primate research center, suggested that the conservation video damages the credibility of those studying animal intelligence. He believed that Koko’s message goes beyond what a gorilla can comprehend, and such stunts give the field of ape language a bad reputation.
King emphasized that the video anthropomorphizes Koko, presenting her as more human-like than she really is. This, she says, obscures Koko’s actual abilities and may not accurately represent the differences between gorillas and humans. King warned against projecting human-like wisdom onto Koko, highlighting that she is not as advanced in understanding complex concepts as the video suggests.
