Why do we cage animals that can be as clever as Koko?
In news last week we learned that Koko had died – the gorilla whose remarkable sign-language ability and love of kittens helped change the world’s views about the intelligence of animals.
Born at the San Francisco Zoo on July 1, 1971, she was loaned to Penny Patterson for scientific studies and under her tutelage learned 2,000 words and “spoke” 1,000. Koko referred to herself as “fine-gorilla-person”.
From age nine, when asked what present she wanted most, Koko would hold her elbows and rock her arms from side to side, the universal sign for cradling an infant. She nursed dolls constantly, pretending to feed and scold them. When visitors showed her photos of their children, Koko would take the pictures and coo over them, kissing their faces.
When Koko’s kitten, All Ball, was killed by a car, Koko reacted with horror, making a drawn-out moan that some gorilla researchers believe is the animal’s equivalent of sobbing. Over and over, she signed the words “sad”, “bad” and “frown”. Unable to believe All Ball was gone, she begged to see it: “Cat gorilla have visit. Koko love. Do visit do.”
There are currently 4,000 gorillas imprisoned in zoos around the world. What must it be like for these highly intelligent animals to be deprived not only of their freedom, but all semblance of a natural life?
If we want to “save” these animals from extinction, the only humane way is to conserve their habitat.
Jenny Moxham
