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KokoBlog is prepared
by the Gorilla Foundation's Research/Care staff with the willing participation of gorillas Koko and Ndume, and the supervision of Dr. Penny Patterson, President and Director
of Research. It is intended to provide an inside view of one of the most intelligent, loving and yet endangered species on Earth, made possible through breakthroughs in interspecies communication.
You can read all of the articles in the KokoBlog archives |
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Koko Hosts Pumpkin Design Contest for Students |
Posted: Oct 30, 2009 |
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Koko sitting next to the winning pumpkin, lit from within |
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This Halloween, the Gorilla Foundation hosted a Pumpkin Face Design Contest and invited students at Kings Mountain Elementary School in Woodside California to participate. About 80 students submitted their most creative pumpkin face designs for Koko, and some were quite fantastic.
The winning design (shown at left) was selected by Koko herself and carved onto a real pumpkin by Gorilla Foundation Enrichment Specialist, Adrienne Mrsny. Note that the winning design was particularly intricate, with many teeth, eyeballs and even ears (in fact it was the only design with ears), but Adrienne was more than up to the challenge and did a fantastic job with the carving.
On Friday, October 31st, the Gorilla Foundation conducted a brief award ceremony at Kings Mountain School, as part of their annual Halloween celebration. The winning designer, Kyle Nierman (3rd grade) received a glossy photo of Koko picking his design — signed by Koko herself — and a Koko plush companion. The two runners up each received a copy of the book Koko-Love (Conversations with a Taling Gorilla) and an 8x11 glossy version of the photo at left.
Koko enjoyed the contest immensely, and the students were happy to have made this year one of her favorite (certainly most memorable) Halloweens. The design contest turned out to be an enriching experience for all great apes concerned.
For more photos of Koko with the winning carved pumpkin design — and of the runner up designs, see our new Koko Halloween section.
For more details about the contest, read the Press Release. |
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Please
email us at research_feedback@koko.org
if you have any questions, or would like to share an observation
or insight about the preceding interspecies conversations.
Your feedback can inform our research and is a vital part
of our mission. Thank you.
and Help Koko Save Her Species
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You
can also watch Koko communicate in the award-winning
PBS/NATURE video:
A
Conversation with Koko
by visiting our online store: KokoMart
where a majority of the proceeds are allocated to our mission. |
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