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In
this series, we share our gorilla research and care activities
with you through the following features:
1)
Caregiver Corner (what
it's like to interact and communicate with gorillas Koko, Ndume
and Michael)
2) Research Revelations
(what we're learning through interspecies communication and
what it means for humanity)
prepared
by our staff under the supervision of Dr. Penny Patterson, Director
of Research. (Journal PhotoBlog
Archive) |
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| Koko's Gift Advice |
November 27, 2002 |
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Dr.
Francine "Penny" Patterson has a Ph.D. in Developmental
Psychology from Stanford. She is President and Research
Director of The Gorilla Foundation, and a Member
of the Board of ApeNet - a consortium of foundations
supporting the welfare of great apes through interspecies
communication. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of
"Gorilla, the journal of The Gorilla Foundation/Koko.org."
"Penny's Journal" provides insight into her facinating
relationship with Koko and a way to share with us
her experiences as Koko lives, learns and communicates
"The
differences between humans and gorillas are greatly
overshadowed by what we have in common — and by
communicating with them, we can learn as much about
our own true nature as theirs." Penny Patterson |
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If you ever need help picking out holiday gifts, try asking a gorilla.
That's just what I did last year. I carried a stack of gift catalogs into Koko's building. Naturally, Koko
first picked up a catalog of gourmet food gifts. Like many of us, a gorilla's eye wanders to possibilities
for herself while she looks for others.
"Looking for presents?" I asked.
"That apple," Koko replied, pointing to a shiny red one on the page.
"Other presents, who should they go to?" I asked.
Koko scratched her head twice to sign that she was thinking very hard. Finally she had an answer.
"Gorillas," she signed.
Then she pointed to a picture of some nuts. "Gorilla love there." Next she pointed to a picture of some
jam-filled cookies molded into the shape of a tree. "That do...Hurry."
I tried to rein her in
with thoughts of generosity for one of Koko's favorite people.
"Anything for Ron?"
Koko picked up another catalog, this one full of gadgets, and flipped through the pages rather carefully. She
pointed to a picture of an indoor golf game, similar to a pool table but without the legs.
"Good idea!" I said.
Koko turned some more pages. She pointed to a fancy vegetable slicer. A few pages later, she gestured toward
a coin sorting machine.
It turned out that the gifts Koko selected for Ron were quite fitting. A golf game? Ron enjoys playing golf.
A vegetable slicer? Ron was beginning to add more vegetables to his diet. A coin sorter? Ron always has big
jars of coins in the house. In fact, I had gotten him a coin sorter the previous Christmas!
Was the appropriateness of her selections a coincidence? Perhaps. Or perhaps she overheard Ron and me talking
about his interests in the course of day-to-day conversation, and understood enough to make some solid
choices. After all, with over 30 years together, Ron is one of the people Koko knows best.
This last possibility reminds us that the joy of giving and receiving gifts lies not so much in the gifts
themselves, but in the way they recognize who we are and what we like.
Penny
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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,
Dr. Francine Penny Patterson
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