Dear Koko's Friend, Today — the 4th of July — we are celebrating Koko’s 37th birthday, a joyous occasion, with presents, wonderful activities and great food. As we were busy preparing the birthday party for Koko and Ndume (see sidebar) we were also keenly aware of the headlines about California this summer. The sight and smell of smoke lingering in the air is a vivid reminder that we must take steps quickly to ensure the well-being of our precious gorilla family.  Koko recently told us that the “Smoke, smoke” was a health issue. That’s why I am personally reaching out today to urge you to make a unique birthday gift to Koko – a generous donation to help us carry out necessary improvements to the gorillas’ home. The following projects will help ensure Koko and Ndume's security: 1) Wildfire Protection Zone: clear significant brush to create an         expanded defensible buffer zone. 2) Water Well: our small local water company can not provide sufficient     water quality or pressure. 3) Climate Control Unit: Gorillas need protection from heat and cold,     and from smoke inhalation. The extreme weather conditions that     created the drought have stressed our system to the breaking point. Your donation to the Gorilla Foundation in honor of Koko’s birthday will help us address these urgent and important needs, assuring a safer environment for our unique and wonderful gorilla friends.  That would be a birthday present Koko and I will remember gratefully for years to come. With love and appreciation, Penny and Koko Koko Helps Plan Her Birthday Koko has been very proactive this year in communicating her wishes. As a menu was being prepared, Koko got busy one morning before I arrived and set out a number of the word disks she uses to leave us written messages. They were all food words, and included “chocolate alligator,” a traditional treat which had been left out of the menu!  The next day, Koko’s disk message read “let’s celebrate!” As the date drew closer, Koko reviewed my hand-drawn chart of possible gifts, then commented, “Barrette forgot.”  Ron, Koko and I had a discussion several weeks earlier about getting her some new barrettes for her birthday, but they were not on the list. You can be sure that they will appear among Koko's presents today Your donation will also allow us to continue our focus on research, education and conservation, leveraging Koko’s ambassadorship for the greater good. Thank you for your loyalty and support of our mission!

Forward to a Friend Subscribe to KokoMail Send Koko eCards Share Koko's Video:

The Gorilla Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to conservation through communication. For more than 30 years we have been performing ground-breaking research in interspecies communication and teaching what we've learned to foster conservation around the world. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by the law. Copyright © 2008 The Gorilla Foundation / Koko.org. ——  KokoMail is powered by the Mansell Group UnSubscribe