Click here to go to abcnews.com and read about Koko the gorilla, who is trained in American sign language and is able to communicate with humans! Recently she began to complain of pain in her mouth and so a team of dentists came to her rescue. I love the picture of her and the kitten. What a sweetie!
There's more information about Koko on her website at www.koko.org
Koko The Gorilla Summons Dentist
- Raindragon
- zoo docent
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- cosmichedgehog
- zoo docent
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Koko is amazing.... as I recall, Koko was shown pictures and picked her own partner. She's not shy about expressing herself.
All the shows and articles I've read about Koko, and other primates who have been taught sign language, (like the chimpanze Washa ) are amazing.... they challenge the boundaries between us and them.
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This past year I took Animal Behavior and Behavior Ecology and we learned how intelligent animals can be. Koko is one remarkable gorilla. The fact that she can actually rate her pain is way cool. Never underestimate what an animal can do. One thing we will never learn is just how smart they can be. I find it funny that Koko asks for a business card and then promptly eats it 
"Close your eyes,Let your spirit start to soar,And you'll live,As you never lived before" The Phantom of the Opera
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"I'm not going out there without a bulletproof couch" -Sid Freedman; M*A*S*H*
- Quicksilver
- ostrich keeper
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I know, I chuckled at that.
I think agree with what you say, we will never know how smart they can be. I read a study that says the average dog can have a vocabulary understanding of that of a three-year-old. It just goes to show that animals aren't as dumb as some people make them out to be. Koko is definitely helping us to understand that. It's great.
I think agree with what you say, we will never know how smart they can be. I read a study that says the average dog can have a vocabulary understanding of that of a three-year-old. It just goes to show that animals aren't as dumb as some people make them out to be. Koko is definitely helping us to understand that. It's great.
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Capt.Rutlinger
- dromedary keeper
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