Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks

Western lowland gorilla Koko was born in captivity 45 years ago in the San Francisco Zoo. A childhood illness separated her from her parent, leaving her without the nurturing bonds that are so important to these gorillas. Into the vacuum stepped Penny Patterson, a doctoral candidate determined to test her theories on animal-human communication skills. What began as a short-term project for Patterson turned into a life's work, lasting over 40 years. Filmmaker Jonathan Taylor's PBS-aired documentary describes the longest running animal language study in history, while also providing an affecting profile of an enduring love between a human and primate. Patterson visits Koko almost every day at the Gorilla Foundation in rural California, where Koko's needs are attended to by a team of researchers and volunteers. Patterson has taught Koko many letters, words, and simple phrases, and she remains convinced that Koko understands sign language. Recent research has cast doubt on this theory, claiming that Koko merely responds to prompts, with one scientist likening Patterson to an overzealous parent. Over the years, Koko has been featured on the cover of National Geographic twice, met celebrities, and even has her own credit card. Responding to what she perceived was Koko's desire to be a mother, Patterson helped the latter to engage in a form of video dating in what turned out to be an unsuccessful effort to have Koko conceive offspring. While Koko does not live in her natural habitat or have social bonds with other gorillas, she can go on supervised walks in the open spaces around the facility. An interesting documentary that provides insights while also raising questions about the proper boundaries between gorillas and humans, this is recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)