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Information about Koko (gorilla)

Koko (born July 4, 1971, in San Francisco, California) is the name of a gorilla taught by Dr. Francine 'Penny' Patterson and other scientists at Stanford University to communicate with more than 1,000 signs based on American Sign Language, and understand approximately 2,000 words of spoken English. She has lived most of her life in Woodside, California, but plans for a move to a sanctuary in Maui, Hawaii, are nearing attainment. She was also the inspiration for Amy the "talking" ape in the Michael Crichton novel Congo.

Koko is short for the name Hanabi-Ko, meaning "fireworks child" in Japanese (a reference to her date of birth, the Fourth of July).

Use of language

Some scientists assert Koko's use of signs, and her actions consistent with her use of signs, indicate she has mastered the use of language. Others contend she does not understand the meaning behind what she is doing, but learns to complete the signs simply because the researchers reward her for doing so (indicating that her actions are the product of operant conditioning). However, the latter position is not consistent with the observation that Koko uses the language freely and in novel ways, even when there is no foreseeable gratification. Another concern that has been raised about Koko's ability to express coherent thoughts through the use of signs is that interpretation of the gorilla's conversation is left to the handler, who may see improbable concatenations of signs as meaningful. This is made clear in an Internet chat encounter[1] where the handler's interpretations of Koko's signs often seem fanciful.

Dr. Patterson has documented Koko inventing new signs to communicate novel thoughts. For example, she asserts that nobody taught Koko the word for "ring", therefore to refer to it she combined the words "finger" and "bracelet", hence "finger bracelet".

Criticism from some parts of the scientific community centers on the fact that while publications often appear in the popular press about Koko, scientific publications are fewer in number (though they have certainly been published).

Such debate requires careful consideration of what it means to 'learn' or 'use' a language (see animal language for further discussion). This debate has been ongoing since the first ape sign language experiments with the chimpanzee Washoe in the 1960s. Other well-known signing apes include chimpanzee Nim Chimpsky and the orangutan, Chantek. Gorillas and bonobos (pygmy chimpanzees) are relatively adept with certain forms of communication, whereas common chimpanzees and orangutans tend toward mastery of manual skills, including brachiation.

Koko's training began at the age of one. Dr. Patterson has assessed Koko's vocabulary at over 1,000 signs, which places her among the most proficient non-human users of language [2].

Michael and Ndume

Michael, a gorilla who lived with Koko for several years, also developed a broad vocabulary of signs, over 600, but did not become as proficient as Koko before his death in 2000. Michael's caregivers believe that he witnessed and remembered his mother's death at the hands of poachers, but was unable to clearly express the event. In the PBS Nature special Koko: Conversation with a Gorilla a group of Michael's signs is interpreted to be an attempt to convey a description of his mother being shot as he watched. While it was intended that Koko and Michael might produce a baby gorilla and teach it to sign, the two saw each other as siblings and did not mate.

Another gorilla, named Ndume, was selected by Koko from a group of videotapes shown to her by her "Mother" Penny, who played several tapes showing male apes of her species, in what may be described as an attempt at "video-dating." Despite these efforts, Koko and Ndume have also not become mates.

Koko's cats

Although not unique, Koko is one of the few non-humans known to keep pets of a different species. She has cared for several cats over the years and Koko's relationship with All Ball was featured in the 1987 book Koko's Kitten (Scholastic Press, ISBN 0-590-44425-5), which was written by Dr. Patterson.

Other gorillas known to have cared for pets include Toto.

Koko in the media

Many documentaries have been made on Koko, including (1977). On April 27 1998, Koko held an "online chat" live on AOL. [3]

In August 2004, Koko was in the news again due to a toothache. She communicated that she was in pain, and according to her handlers was able to indicate her pain level on a scale of 1 to 10. [4]

Robin Williams did a set about his encounter with Koko in his Live on Broadway special.

Sexual harassment

Koko has been involved in several sexual harassment lawsuits.[5] At least three former employees, all female, have claimed that they were pressured into showing their breasts to Koko. They alleged that Dr. Patterson encouraged the behavior, often interpreted Koko's signs as requests for nipple display, and let them know that their job would be in danger if they "did not indulge Koko's nipple fetish." Koko has been known to playfully grab both male and female nipples without warning or provocation. Dr. Patterson claims that Koko uses the word "nipple" to refer to humans.[6]

All claims of harassment have been permanently dropped as of 21 November 2005 after the foundation and the parties involved reached a settlement. [7]

Jody Weiner, Koko's lawyer, writes about Koko and sexual harassment in Kinship With Animals (2006, Council Oak Books)[1]

See also

References

1. ^ Kinship With Animals (2006, Council Oak Books, ISBN 1571781897)(co-author, introduction by William Shatner)
  • Patterson and Gordon, All Apes Great and Small: African Apes, Chapter 11. ISBN 0-306-46757-7
  • See also extensive References section at Animal language.

External links

Online video

For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States).
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City and County of San Francisco
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Gorillini

Genus: Gorilla
I. Geoffroy, 1852

Type species
Troglodytes gorilla
Savage, 1847

distribution of Gorilla


Species


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Dr. Francine "Penny" Patterson (b. February 13 1947, in Chicago, Illinois) is a researcher who has taught a modified form of American Sign Language which she calls "Gorilla Sign Language" or, GSL to a gorilla named Koko.
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Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University or simply Stanford, is a private university located approximately 37 miles (60 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco and approximately 20 miles (32 km) northwest of San Jose in Stanford,
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American Sign Language (ASL; less commonly Ameslan) is the dominant sign language of the Deaf community in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in parts of Mexico.
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Woodside, California
Location in San Mateo County and the state of California
Coordinates:
Country United States
State California
County San Mateo
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Maui
The Valley Isle<nowiki />

Landsat satellite image of Maui

Geography

Location in the state of Hawaii <nowiki/>
Location
Area 727.
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Michael Crichton
Pseudonym: John Lange
Jeffrey Hudson
Born: September 23 1942 (1942--) (age 65)

Occupation: Novelist
Nationality:  United States
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Congo

Author Michael Crichton
Country United States
Language English
Genre(s) Science fiction novel
Publisher Alfred A.
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Independence Day (commonly known as the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.
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See Language (journal) for the linguistics journal.


A language is a system of symbols and the rules used to manipulate them. Language can also refer to the use of such systems as a general phenomenon.
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Operant conditioning is the use of consequences to modify the occurrence and form of behavior. Operant conditioning is distinguished from Pavlovian conditioning in that operant conditioning deals with the modification of "voluntary behavior" through the use of
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Animal language is the modeling of human language in non human animal systems. While the term is widely used, most researchers agree that animal languages are not as complex or expressive as human language.
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Panina

Genus: Pan
Oken, 1816

Type species
Simia troglodytes
Blumenbach, 1775

distribution of Pan spp.

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Washoe is a chimpanzee, currently living at the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute (CHCI) at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington.

She was the first non-human to demonstrate an ability to learn symbolic gestures (American Sign Language) and use
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  • An ape is a member of the Hominoidea superfamily of primates.
Ape or APE may also refer to:
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Nim Chimpsky (November 21, 1973 – March 10, 2000) was a chimpanzee who was the subject of an extended study of animal language acquisition (codenamed 6.001) at Columbia University, led by Herbert S. Terrace.
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Ponginae
Elliot, 1912

Genus: Pongo
Lacépède, 1799

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Simia pygmaeus
Linnaeus, 1760

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Chantek (born December 17, 1977, at the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center in Atlanta, Georgia) is a male orangutan who has mastered the use of a number of intellectual skills, including sign language, taught by anthropologist Dr. Lyn Miles.
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P. paniscus

Binomial name
Pan paniscus
Schwarz, 1929

Bonobo distribution


The Bonobo (Pan paniscus), until recently usually called the
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Binomial name
Pan troglodytes
(Blumenbach, 1775)

distribution of Common Chimpanzee. 1. Pan troglodytes verus. 2. P. t. vellerosus. 3.

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Brachiation is a form of arboreal locomotion in which primates swing from tree limb to tree limb using only their arms.

Brachiators

The only true brachiators are the lesser apes (gibbons and siamangs).
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Michael (b March 17, 1973, Cameroon, Africa - d. April 19, 2000) was the first male 'talking' gorilla. He had a working vocabulary of over 600 signs in American Sign Language, taught to him by Koko, a female gorilla; Dr.
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Death is the permanent end of the life of a biological organism. Death may refer to the end of life as either an event or condition.[1] Many factors can cause or contribute to an organism's death, including predation, disease, habitat destruction, senescence,
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