KokoTV

Welcome to KokoTV. Yes, Koko is that famous "talking" gorilla you've probably read about in school or seen in a Nature documentary. Only she doesn't actually talk, she communicates in American Sign Language: she knows over 1000 signs, and understands over 2000 words of spoken English, too. Koko was raised and taught by Dr. Penny Patterson, founder of the Gorilla Foundation/Koko.org.

During the past 30 years, Penny and her staff have developed a very close relationship with Koko and learned that she is an extremely intelligent, emotional and caring being -- and that she has a lot to teach humans about ourselves and our relationship to other species and nature. What we've learned has been so compelling that the Gorilla Foundation has become totally dedicated to saving gorillas (and other great apes) from imminent extinction.

The purpose of KokoTV is to share some of the lessons we've learned -- and continue to learn -- from Koko, through interspecies communication web video.

Click the PLAY button above to allow Koko to introduce herself. In the coming weeks, you'll be able to click on other sections of KokoTV to learn about Koko's language, her relationship with Penny and other family and friends (including kittens and famous celebrities), her multi-faceted personality, her amazing artistic abilities, and her role as ambassador for her species.

Then we'll launch Koko's Class where you'll be able to participate in regular (monthly) video encounters with Koko in which we'll challenge you to help us interpret what she's saying, doing and thinking, and discuss the lessons learned from Ambassador Koko. What we learn may determine the future of the species.