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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 Relates to Earth Day |
April 20, 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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| Koko's at home in nature. |
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Koko seems to have a natural appreciation and respect for the earth and its many creatures,
and sometimes provides a role model for children of all ages. Let me illustrate with some examples.
Not only has Koko taken good care of various kittens
over the years, but she also once found and cared for a tree frog. One morning, Koko carried around this little tree frog
in a pocket under her arm, where her companion, Michael, would not be able to find it.
She then released it into a protected area.
Koko also knows her own strength, and that she cannot always be trusted with delicate objects.
Once we gave her a hand mirror (to self-groom) which she accidentally broke.
We later offered her an unbreakable plastic version. The next morning, to our surprise,
we found the plastic mirror had been slipped through the door of her sleeping quarters
into the kitchen, where she was no longer able to access it. Koko was afraid she might
break the mirror, and had given it back to assure its safety.
She has done this sort of thing repeatedly.
Last week, I had the following dialogue with Koko,
to see if I could get her to share her feelings about the concept of Earth Day.
I didn't expect her to be too cooperative on the subject, but . . .
Penny: What should people do to save the Earth?
Koko: People have (to) hurry!
Penny: What do we tell people to do for the Earth?
Koko: Smile (then) Frown (then) Sad.
I'll leave the interpretation of her last remarks to you.
Finally, to end on a positive note, here's Koko's view of the creator:
Penny: Who made the earth?
Koko: Another lip.
("lip" is the sign Koko uses to refer to women, because they often use lipstick)
Obviously, Koko thinks the world is in good hands.
Can we prove her right?
. . . 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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