KokoConnects: Conservation through Communication

All around the world, people are in love with Koko.  They miss her since she passed away in 2018, as we do.  And they want to see her legacy fulfilled:  conservation through communication.  The best way to do that is to apply the vast multi-media archive we’ve created of interspecies communication with gorillas Koko, Michael and Ndume to create unique educational content that motivates people to continue our dialogue with gorillas and save them in the process.

 

Partnership Model:  The Koko Signs App

The In 2021 we partnered with ArcTouch, a company dedicated to creating “loveable apps” and created the Koko Signs app together.   The partnership involved almost a year of brainstorming and iterating with different concepts to come up with the current configuration.   The Koko Signs app enables people to learn a fair amount of sign language from Koko, the gorilla — with reinforcement from Penny Patterson, Koko’s mentor and surrogate mother, as well as from a native signer named Darlene. It also contains dozen of video clips with Koko using sign language to communicate with Penny, Michael and various celebrities, such as Robin Williams.  And there’s a section summarizing the status of gorillas worldwide, and how The Gorilla Foundation is helping them.  

Current Status

WeThe Gorilla Foundation has digitized our entire video archive, featuring approximately 2000 hours of video with Koko.  As well as our gorilla diaries  — 200 diary notebooks, featuring 40 years of entries.

The Koko Signs app is being updated every few months, and we’re about to develop a conservation curriculum around the other features.

And we’re planning an AI version that digests all of the data and then allow people to have a virtual conversation with “Koko.”

How You Can Help

Email us if you have suggestions, questions or would like to support this vital project:  [email protected]