Koko, the famous gorilla who made several celebrity friends, died in a California preserve on Tuesday. The Gorilla Foundation says she died in her sleep at the organization’s preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains of Northern California. Koko, a…
Showing posts with label Gorilla. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gorilla. Show all posts
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Koko the Gorilla Passes Away at 46
Some famous deaths come out of nowhere and hit us when we least expect them.
It is with heavy hearts that we announce that Koko, the gorilla who communicated learning sign language, has passed away.
Koko was 46, but her impact on our understanding of gorillas will endure for countless generations.
“The Gorilla Foundation is sad to announce the passing of our beloved Koko,” the foundation announced in a grim statement.
Koko, they report, passed away in her sleep on Tuesday morning.
The Gorilla Foundation adds: “Her impact has been profound and what she has taught us about the emotional capacity of gorillas and their cognitive abilities will continue to shape the world.”
Koko was famous for her use of GSL — Gorilla Sign Language, a version of sign language adapted for a gorilla’s motor capabilities and hand shape.
She reportedly knew as many as 1,000 signs and, having been exposed to human speech from birth, knew and understood 2,000 English words.
At her birth at the San Francisco Zoo, Koko was named “Hanabi-ko,” which is Japanese for “Fireworks Child.”
She was born on July 4, thus her name, in 1971.
She was 46 years old at the time of her death.
Wild gorillas are believed to have a natural life expectancy of 40 to 45 years.
The St. Louis Zoo says that Western lowland gorillas like Koko can potentially live for as long as 50 years, but to live so long, in the wild or captivity, is rare.
Koko first made headlines for her use of sign language to communicate in the late 1970s.
She was featured on the cover of National Geographic — in a photo that she herself had taken using a mirror.
(Don’t let anyone tell you that Millennials are the first to take mirror selfies — Koko was clearly Gen X)
Koko garnered attention again when she adopted a small gray kitten — after having requested one and not been satisfied by the stuffed kitten with which she was supplied.
She named the kitten “All Ball.” All Ball tragically passed away after escaping confinement and getting hit by a car. Koko grieved her, but was later allowed to pick out two new kittens.
She named one “Lipstick” because, as she had to explain (using just a few signs) to her caretaker, the kitten had a pink mouth. She named the other “Smoky” because it resembled a kitten from a book that she enjoyed.
Koko also made friends with the late, great Robin Williams. When she first met him, she recognized him from having seen him in a movie.
In 2014, she grieved his death along with the rest of us.
Koko also passed on her understanding of sign language to another gorilla named Michael.
Some challenged Koko’s ability to sign and her reported cognitive abilities over the years, stating that they believed that the Clever Hans effect might be at play.
(This was not implying that this is a prank, but simply that people’s confirmation bias will lead them to infer correct answers where there are none)
Koko’s ability to teach others was not merely limited to gorillas, however.
A bonobo reportedly picked up some sign language from merely watching videos of Koko, and surprised a researcher who was familiar with sign language with his communications.
Koko had a profound effect on how humans view the minds of non-human animals and especially of gorillas. Her legacy will endure.
She herself will be sorely missed.
Friday, September 15, 2017
Cincinnati Zoo Welcomes First Gorilla since Harambe
The Cincinnati Zoo opened its doors to another gorilla for the first time since Harambe was tragically killed. The zoo welcomed Mshindi … a 29-year-old silverback that previously called the Louisville Zoo its home. It’s the first time…
Friday, June 23, 2017
Gorilla Dances at Bathtime at the Dallas Zoo: Watch!
Have you seen the Dallas Zoo"s spinning gorilla video yet?
If not, then you haven"t really lived. But we have it for you, below.
You can put it to just about any music you wish and his bathtime dance really works. But even with the original audio, this video is a delight.
The gorilla"s name is Zola, and he has a penchant for spinning around.
When he was younger, he had a penchant for doing what appeared to be breakdancing.
Kind of like how a lot of little kids like to spin in circles — we assume.
We"re not licensed gorilla behavior experts.
But he"s older now and it seems that Zola takes particular delight in splashing water during his dances.
Obviously, no story about a zoo gorilla would be complete without mentioning the late, great Harambe.
He lived, died, became a meme, and ran for President … all in that order.
To this day, the Cincinnati Zoo can"t so much as post about an adorable baby hippo named Fiona without being reminded about that fateful day when the Cincinnati Zoo killed its most famous charge.
Obviously, it"s unlikely that whichever intern or whatever the zoo equivalent who runs their social media accounts was the one who pulled the trigger that cut Harambe"s life tragically short.
But they still get a social media earful about it every time that they post pretty much anything.
We can only imagine those in Cincinnati looking at their Dallas Zoo peers with envy.
Not only because the Dallas Zoo is in a city that"s much more intuitively easy to spell.
(Though of course that)
But because the story of Zola is getting a much more positive reception than the story of Harambe.
We don"t know if zoos have rivalries or popularity contests amongst themselves, but this is good news for Dallas no matter what.
We have to imagine that the Dallas Zoo is delighted at all of the free press.
To us, this is just entertaining nonsense, like everything else on our phone screens.
(That isn"t horrifying news about the world"s impending doom at the tiny hands of an orange demon)
To the Dallas Zoo, this could mean an influx of visitors as children and even adults come in to see the internet-famous dancing gorilla.
We"re not saying that they"ll all get to see a live performance, but even the novelty of seeing him could attract a lot of folks.
Dancing Gorilla Is a Maniac, Maniac at Your Door!
NOBODY PUTS GORILLA IN THE CORNER!! Here’s 14-year-old up-and-coming dancer Zola showing off his moves in a kiddie pool at the Dallas Zoo … which begs the question — WHY ISN’T HE A JABBAWOCKY YET?! The video has gone gorilla viral — and…
Dancing Gorilla Is a Maniac, Maniac at Your Door!
NOBODY PUTS GORILLA IN THE CORNER!! Here’s 14-year-old up-and-coming dancer Zola showing off his moves in a kiddie pool at the Dallas Zoo … which begs the question — WHY ISN’T HE A JABBAWOCKY YET?! The video has gone gorilla viral — and…
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Fired Tennis Announcer Sues ESPN ... I Never Called Venus Williams a "Gorilla"
There’s a HUGE difference between “gorilla” and “guerrilla” when referring to Venus Williams — so says ex-ESPN tennis announcer, Doug Adler, who claims he was wrongly fired after people THOUGHT he was being racist. Adler was calling a…
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
World"s Oldest Gorilla on Record Colo Dead at 60
Less than a year after Harambe’s tragic death, another gorilla has died at an Ohio zoo, but this time of natural causes. Colo, known as the queen of the Columbus Zoo, died in her sleep Tuesday. She was 60. While she was less famous than Harambe…
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Cincinnati Zoo Parents May Be Charged in Connection to Gorilla Shooting
The fallout from this weekend’s tragic shooting at the Cincinnati Zoo continues.
As previously documented, and as depicted in the video below, a four-year old boy fell into the gorilla enclosure at this famous facility on Saturday, May 28.
After the gigantic animals grabbed hold of the boy and started thrashing him about, officials were left with no choice but to have an employee fatally shoot the gorilla, who was 17 years old and named Harambe.
Was the animal protecting the toddler? Hurting him? About to cause him real harm?
Watch the surveillance footage and try to decipher for yourself:
Debate has raged all over the Internet in regard to the incident, with critics wondering why the zoo could not simply use a tranquilizer on the gorilla.
The zoo has responded by saying the tranquilizer would have taken too long to go into effect.
Others have placed the blame squarely at the feet of the boy’s parents, specifically his mother, Michelle Gregg.
In response to the criticism she has received online, Gregg posted (and then deleted) a Facebook message that referred to the situation as an “accident” and which thanked God for keeping her son safe.
Celebrities from all walks of entertainment life have also weighed in on the death of Harambe:
Now, sources have confirmed that Cincinnati police are looking into Gregg and Deonne Dickerson, the boy’s father, even though the latter was not at the zoo when his son fell into the gorilla pit.
Authorities are reportedly reviewing “the actions of the parents/family that led up to the incident,” according to TMZ, implying they may be charged with the crime of negligence.
Do you think they ought to be?
Or was this just a very unfortunate accident that has taken on a life of its own due to the Internet?
An insider also says the Zoo is NOT under investigation of any kind.
It falls under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Agriculture.
Mother of Child Who Fell Into Gorilla Enclosure Goes Off on Critics
The mother of a four-year old boy who fell into an enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo on Saturday, resulting in the shooting death of a beloved gorilla named Harambe, has spoken out for the first time.
And she’s sent a message to all who blame her for this controversial incident.
Over Memorial Day weekend, the child in question crawled through a barrier and fell into a moat.
Once there, he was picked up and dragged all around by the 400-pound, 17-year-old male gorilla.
Out of fear for the toddler’s safety, a zoo employee shot and killed the animal, sparking an intense debate over animal cruelty and irresponsible parenting.
Take a look at footage from the frightening situation below:
In response to critics who have accused her of not properly keeping an eye on her son, Michelle Gregg wrote the following on Facebook:
“I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers today.
“What started off as a wonderful day turned into a scary one. For those of you that have seen the news or been on social media that was my son that fell in the gorilla exhibit at the zoo.
“God protected my child until the authorities were able to get him. My son is safe and was able to walk away with a concussion and a few scrapes…no broken bones or internal injuries.”
Gregg has since deleted this post, but added at the time it was written:
“As a society we are quick to judge how a parent could take their eyes off of their child and if anyone knows me I keep a tight watch on my kids.
“Accidents happen but I am thankful that the right people were in the right place today.
“Thank you to everyone that helped me and my son today and most importantly God for being the awsome [sic] God that He is.”
Having come under some fire itself, The Cincinnati Zoo also released a statement via Facebook on Saturday, defending its decision to kill the gorilla.
“We are heartbroken about losing Harambe, but a child’s life was in danger and a quick decision had to be made by our Dangerous Animal Response Team,” park director Thane Maynard wrote in the note.
He added that “tranquilizers do not take effect for several minutes and the child was in imminent danger.”
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Endangered Gorilla Killed to Save Toddler’s Life: Who"s to Blame?
An employee at the Cincinnati Zoo shot and killed an endangered lowland gorilla on Saturday after a four-year-old boy slipped and fell into the animal"s enclosure.
A zoo official confirmed the incident during a press conference… and the Internet is now abuzz over who is to blame for this tragedy.
The following piece of surveillance footage depicts Harambe – a 17-year-old, 400-pound gorilla – grabbing the child and pulling him around its habitat.
This lasted for approximately 10 minutes, while the boy"s mother and many other zoo guests looked on in helpless horror.
Considering this a life-threatening situation, the zoo"s dangerous animal response team acted by fatally taking down the gorilla, according to Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard.
After the animal was shot with a rifle, the toddler was taken to Cincinnati Children"s Hospital.
He had non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to be just fine.
"The child was not under attack but all sorts of things could happen," Maynard said. "He certainly was at risk."
After the boy went under the railing, through a set of wires and over a moat wall, two female gorilla were called away from the scene.
However, the male gorilla went to the moat, picked up the kid and started to drag him through the water and all around.
Why were real bullets used over a tranquilizer?
Because the latter would take too long to take effect, Maynard explained.
Because the western lowland gorilla is a critically endangered species, zoo employees are in mourning today… even if understand why the shooting had to take place.
Others, however, wonder why this precaution had to be taken if the gorilla had done the child any harm after 10 minutes.
Watch the frightening video below and choose a side: did the employees do what needed to be done in order to save a child"s life?
Or should they have refrained from the fatal act because they understood Harambe would never have hurt the boy?
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