Dear Friend,
Summer at The Gorilla Foundation in Northern California brought corn on the cob and blackberries picked fresh from the bush.
In this footage from 1992, Koko carefully works the kernels loose from an ear of corn and holds a small handful of ripe blackberries. Nearby, Ron (The Gorilla Foundationโs co-founder and Koko’s photographer and friend) gathers berries from the bush and shares them with Michael (Koko’s first gorilla companion), who later displays food tucked inside his mouth.
These familiar summer routines were unfolding during an important period of change. Ndume had recently arrived at the Foundation from the Cincinnati Zoo and Koko and Michael were gradually becoming acquainted with him.
Michael sits outside, chewing as he watches Ndume through the opening of the nearby building. In footage filmed earlier that summer, Koko and Ndume spend time together in the large outdoor yard during the early, adaptation period of their relationship.
The scenes preserve both sides of that summer: the simple pleasure of freshly gathered food and the gradual process of welcoming a new gorilla into daily life.
With Koko love,
Penny Patterson
President, CEO and Founder
The Gorilla Foundation / koko.org
PS: You can visit Ndume, who’s now 46 years old, at the Cincinnati Zoo these days. We miss him!
Conservation through Communication
The Gorilla Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Our Federal Tax ID is: 942-38-6151
