About

Koko the Gorilla was a female western lowland gorilla who lived the majority of her life at the San Francisco Zoo in Woodside, California before passing at the age of 46 in mid-June 2018. Though Koko is famous for having learned a large number of hand signs, the extent to which she used the signs has been the subject of debate.

Origin

On July 4th, 1971, Koko was born at the San Francisco Zoo. Koko worked with American animal psychologist Francine Patterson as part of her doctoral research on the linguistic capabilities of lowland gorillas.

Spread

On December 8th, 2011, YouTuber Thori Mclean uploaded footage of footage expressing sadness after being told her kitten died (shown below). Within seven years, the video gained over 18.5 million views and 14,000 comments.

On April 29th, 2013, YouTuber Beth Gallagher uploaded a video titled "Conversation With Koko," featuring footage of Koko communicating with sign language (shown below, left). On February 3rd, 2014, YouTuber iain menzies uploaded footage of Koko meeting comedian Robin Williams (shown below). Within four years, the video accumulated upwards of five million views and 3,000 comments.

On October 13th, 2015, YouTuber kokoflix uploaded footage of Koko being introduced to a litter of kittens (shown below, left). Over the next three years, the video accumulated upwards of 11.5 million views and 2,200 comments. On August 19th, 2016, the rock band The Red Hot Chili Peppers released a video in which Koko plays a bass guitar with the band's bassist Flea (shown below, right).

Death

On June 19th, 2018, Koko died at the age of 46. On June 21st, The Gorilla Foundation announced Koko's death.^[1] That day, posts about her passing reached the front page of the /r/news, /r/bigboye and /r/likeus subreddits. Meanwhile, Twitter published a Moments^[5] page collecting various reactions to Koko's death. Also on June 21st, Time uploaded a video in honor of Koko's memory (shown below).

Search Interest

External References