On July 4th, 2018, The Gorilla Foundation celebrated Koko's Life, on what would have been her 47th birthday. She passed away 2 weeks earlier, on June 19th, peacefully in her sleep. Koko will forever be remembered as the first gorilla who "spoke" with us (via sign language) but she won't be the last. Read more
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KokoFlix Videoblog Archive
Penny and Koko: Motherhood
Penny has been like a mother to Koko, from the time she began caring for her as a baby gorilla, through years of communication-based research and relationship building, to the present, where Koko now exhibits many of the same maternal qualities to her kittens, great ape dolls and human caregivers. There is so much Read more
Update on Koko and her "Kittens"
Koko has taken care of many kittens, and helped raise them to become healthy cats, over the years. Yet, she continues to start over each time with as much enthusiasm as she had when she first adopted "All Ball" (who she named) 30 years ago. See how she's doing with her latest feline friends, Ms. Gray and Read more
Learn to Paint with Koko
One way Koko communicates with us is through her art. She not only paints objects she encounters in her environment, but also expresses her thoughts and emotions more abstractly. After carefully selecting just the right brush and colors to work with, she titles her painting using sign language. A complete Read more
Ndume's Birthday Bonanza
This year (2017) Ndume celebrated his 36th birthday on Oct. 10. Ndume is 10 years younger than his well-known companion, Koko, and loves to party! The theme for this year’s birthday celebration was “Movie Night” (selected by Koko’s FaceBook community), and featured some of Read more
Koko Loves Betty White's Book
Betty White was on The Gorilla Foundation's Board for over 10 years (2004 - 2016) and visited Koko several times during that period. Recently, Betty sent Koko a signed copy of her book, "If You Ask Me," and Koko enjoyed perusing it — and finding her own chapter ("Koko") in record time ... Read more
Ndume Wants to Play and Tells Us
Ndume is showing his playful side by tossing blankets on his head. His social interaction with caregivers often includes playing like this, or his other favorite game of chase. He ends this round of toss with a string of gestures that express how he's feeling. "Play, Pat-Belly, Slap-Feet, Love, Gorilla, Read more
Koko ROCKS a Flea Bass
Guess who's been playing bass with Koko? One of Koko's favorite musicians, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers came to visit. Koko was thrilled by the mellow sounds and a jamming session followed with Koko strumming on Flea's bass! Watch for more news on future collaborations between the Read more
New Koko Documentary on PBS
Watch the new Koko documentary, produced by BBC, and airing on PBS: Wed., Aug. 3, 2016 at 8pm (Pacific & Eastern) After you watch the full documentary, come on back to koko.org to check out and participate in the top questions (and answers) raised by the new documentary. From the Read more
Ndume's Rain Walk
Ndume (Koko's male companion) is not a fan of the rain, he hates getting his hands and feet wet, he would fly if he could! Here Ndume is walking bipedally to avoid getting wet. Interestingly, Ndume sometimes walks, or even runs, backwards Read more
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