Dear Friend,

It’s KOKO’S BIRTHDAY!  She was born on the 4th of July and loves birthday celebrations!  (Studies show that all great apes enjoy a good party!)

Not only does Koko like to party, she also likes to help plan the event. When I offered her a list of birthday theme suggestions, she made her preferences clear! (see chart).

Koko licked the "Color Red," and marked "Flowers" and "Pillows with Special Messages" as her favorite birthday themes.

Koko and I have been working and playing together now for over 45 years, since she was a baby, demonstrating how very much we share with gorillas and other great apes. This knowledge continues to inspire the world to care about saving them, and empowers our mission of Conservation through Communication.

Please join us in celebrating Koko and her achievements!
You can help her continue to be a Voice for Nature and an Ambassador for her Endangered Species by making a generous birthday donation!

And remember to include a special personal birthday message to Koko, which I will share with her (she loves to read)!

Gorillas urgently need our help to make a significant difference in their lives — they are being hunted in the wild and their profound sentience is generally ignored in captivity.

Your birthday gift will not only help us celebrate Koko’s birthday, but will also help us continue to learn from her and Ndume how best to take care of the gorillas with whom we live, explore their uncharted intellectual and emotional abilities, and apply this knowledge to save their species. We still have much to learn — and much to do!

Your birthday gift today will mean a lot to Koko, the Gorilla Foundation, and all gorillas!   Please add a personal message to Koko when you donate — she would love to hear from you! 

In return, Koko will continue to be the inspiring “Voice of Nature” that
we all need to hear, and help us all be the best humans we can be.

Thank you for your donation in honor of Koko’s birthday, and best wishes
from Koko, me and the entire Gorilla Foundation Team!

Sincerely,

Penny Patterson, Ph.D. President and Director of Research