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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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| Caregiver Corner: "Cleaning with Koko" by Jill F. |
May 08, 2005 |
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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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| Caregiver Jill (left) and Koko (right) |
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Koko has three rooms
in her building, which we refer to as A, B and the kitchen.
Her rooms are divided by steel mesh and gates, with the A room
having a chute to the outdoor yard. Koko generally has access
to her A and B rooms, and the kitchen area is where she invites
her human guests to join her for a visit. Jill Firstenberg,
one of Koko’s caregiver’s, describes an interaction
with Koko that took place on August 14, 2004. In Koko's responses,
the pound symbol (#) after a word indicates that it is a vocalization
by Koko; otherwise the word or phrase represents her response
in American Sign Language.
As a caregiver for Koko one of my daily duties is to move Koko from one of her
rooms to the other in order to clean. Koko’s cooperation is crucial. On
this particular day, as well as many others, Koko is cooperative and helpful.
I enter Koko's kitchen.
Koko: Purr#.
Jill: Hi sweetie pie.
Koko: Purr#.
Jill: Koko, I'd like to clean your other room
would you like to bring anything from that room into this room
before I close the gate?
Koko looks around her room, picks up one of her favorite toy lizards, known as
party lizard, and comes into her larger room, the A room.
Jill: Is that all?
Koko: Purr#.
Jill: Okay if I close this now? (pointing to
the hydraulic gate that separates her A and B rooms.)
Koko: Good. Kiss#.
I close the hydraulic gate and enter into the closed off B room and start to clean.
Koko comes close to where I'm cleaning. She has two small water bottles and a
roll of paper towels in her hands. As I clean, Koko starts to pour out the water
onto the floor then use the paper towels, a few at a time, to clean the floor
and walls of her room. I clean one room, and Koko cleans the other.
Jill: Koko, are you cleaning?
Koko: Purr#.
Jill: You are doing a great job Koko! Thanks
for helping me sweetie.
Koko: Purr#.
 Jill
Firstenberg has been a
veterinary technician for over 22 years. She came to the
foundation in 2000 after completing a month long volunteer
veterinary work program on the island of Rarotonga in
the Cook Islands, South Pacific. Her work at the foundation
started as a produce volunteer preparing the daily meals
for the gorillas, but Koko had other plans for Jill. The
two became fast friends and have developed a beautiful
friendship which has only grown and strengthened over
the years. Jill's extensive experience in veterinary medicine
has proved to be a huge asset to the foundation. She consults
and advises on healthcare for the gorillas including the
use of Chinese herbs and homeopathy, and was very involved
in Koko's August 2004 anesthetic dental procedure, holding
Koko's hand while she woke up from anesthesia. Jill still
works as head nurse in a veterinary practice that specializes
in alternative care, and makes an hour and a half commute
each way twice a week to care for the gorillas. |
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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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