Koko, the gorilla who loved her kittens and mastered 1,000 words in sign-language, helped gorillas everywhere, including those at Zoo Atlanta.
Koko died at age 46, according to the Gorilla Foundation, based in Woodside, Calif., where she made her home.
Some gorillas, such as Koko, and Atlanta’s Willie B., become larger personalities, and they encourage zoo visitors and others to take greater notice and greater care of the species.
In a statement about Koko, Zoo Atlanta wrote:
“Koko was certainly an ambassador for her species and was of a similar generation to two very special senior gorillas at Zoo Atlanta (Ozzie, age 57 and the oldest living male gorilla in the world, and Choomba, age 55). Individuals like these, and like the late Willie B. and the late Ivan, become living legends in their own time, but they also have a tremendous permanent legacy in that they’ve inspired generations of people to learn more about western lowland gorillas, which can translate into a desire to work to save this critically endangered species in the wild.”
The Gorilla Foundation, said in a statement:
“Koko touched the lives of millions as an ambassador for all gorillas and an icon for interspecies communication and empathy. She was beloved and will be deeply missed.”
Koko was born 46 years ago at the San Francisco Zoo. She was taught sign language by Dr. Francine Patterson starting in 1974, The Associated Press reported.
Koko also painted pictures, shot photographs and made friends with celebrities, including Robin Williams.
When she was informed of Williams death in 2014, she became somber and signed the word for “cry”.
Zoo Atlanta is home to one of the largest groups of western lowland gorillas in the United States. There are about 21 gorillas living there now, and 23 have been born there.
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