Dear Friend,
I handed Koko a little kaleidoscope, the kind you might remember from your own childhood, and she brought it right up to her eye, the way you would. She held it there, turning her head and looking closely.
Koko showed a genuine curiosity. She didn’t need to be coaxed into looking. She simply wanted to see.
It’s easy to overlook something like this. It’s just a toy, after all. But every time Koko chose to look closely at something new, a photograph, a cat, a splash of color, she reminded us that curiosity like this isn’t unique to us.
It’s part of why her story still matters โ not because she was one gorilla who did something remarkable, but because she showed, again and again, the attention, individuality, and inner life that exists in a species we’re still working to protect in the wild.
I hope this small moment makes you smile the way it made me smile watching it. And it reminds us why gorillas desperately need our help!
With Koko love,
Penny Patterson
President, CEO and Founder
The Gorilla Foundation / koko.org
Conservation through Communication
The Gorilla Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Our Federal Tax ID is: 942-38-6151
