Koko and her kittens: Watch the extraordinary moment a gentle gorilla adopts two tiny cats and showers them with cuddles - because she doesn't have babies of her own
- Koko, who lives in Woodside hill in California, adores babies - despite not having mothered any of her own
- In celebration of turning 44 years old, the ape's trainer, Francine Patterson, introduced her to litter of kittens
- Gorilla, who is famous for 'sign language', was filmed stroking them gently before picking one up for cuddle
- She then gestured for one cat to be placed on her head, before later signing that the animals are her babies
- Koko, who was born at San Francisco Zoo, has now adopted two of the kittens; it has 'energized her world'
Koko the gorilla is famous for having learned a large number of hand signs from a modified version of American Sign Language.
But
less well known is the fact that she absolutely loves babies - despite
not having had the opportunity to mother any of her own.
She
often signs the word 'baby', carries gorilla dolls in her arms, and
even pretends that her dolls can sign by moving their arms and hands.
So
in celebration of the ape's 44th birthday, her trainer Francine
Patterson introduced her to some other babies - a litter of kittens.
The meeting - arranged on behalf of The Gorilla Foundation - was not the first time that Koko has interacted with tiny cats.
But her reaction to doing so was as genuine and heart-warming as if it was.
Birthday treat: In celebration of her
44th birthday, Koko the gorilla's trainer Francine Patterson, on behalf
of The Gorilla Foundation, introduced her to some other babies - a
litter of kittens. Above, Koko is captured on video scooping up a little
grey kitten in her hand.
Now a family: According to information
provided alongside the video, which was posted to YouTube via the
kokoflix account, the gorilla and two of the kittens are now part of one
happy family. Above, Koko snuggles up to the grey cat, which she was
particularly attached to
Koko was filmed
being presented with a cardboard box containing the kittens, and taking
a peek inside it, at the foundation's California base.
Despite
her huge hands being the size of the animals, she was gentle with the
tiny balls of fluff, carefully flicking a finger out to stroke them.
Footage
shows Koko taking her time before attempting to pick one of the kittens
up - as if allowing them the chance to acclimatize to her first.
She then scoops up a little grey kitten in her hand.
After
bringing the cat up to her face to take a closer look, the gorilla
strokes its belly with her index finger before tucking it under her arm
for a cuddle.
Later,
another little kitten is filmed desperately trying to get out of an
animal carrier bag in order to snuggle up to the great ape.
The
clip concludes with Koko gesturing for one of the cats to be placed on
her head before later signing that the animals are her babies.
The
adorable video was posted to YouTube via the kokoflix account and is
further evidence of Koko's 'greatest wish' - to have a baby of her own
Information provided alongside the video states that the gorilla and two of the kittens are now part of one happy family.
According
to Koko's trainer, the special ape is able to understand more than
1,000 signs of what Patterson calls 'Gorilla Sign Language'. Koko was
also exposed to spoken English from an early age and is reported to be
able to understand approximately 2,000 words of the spoken language.
Taking a peek: Koko was presented with a cardboard box containing the kittens at the foundation's base in Woodside, California
Loving nature: The gorilla stroked the grey cat with her index finger before tucking it under her arm and giving it a cuddle
Special moment: According to Koko's
trainer, the special ape is able to understand more than 1,000 signs of
what Patterson calls 'Gorilla Sign Language'. Above, staff at The
Gorilla Foundation help the grey cat to brush Koko's furry coat during
the adorable meeting
Writing alongside the video, the kokoflix account noted: 'Koko got her birthday wish this July 4th - not only did one kitten come to visit, but a whole litter.
'Koko
fell in love with one, and the other fell in love with her. Koko has
adopted these two kittens into her family, and it has energized her
world.
'Not
only have Koko's maternal and play instincts kicked in, but she is
signing more to her caregivers and generating new content every day that
can be used by The Gorilla Foundation to create empathy for great
apes.'
The
foundation noted that new content can have significant benefits to both
endangered free-living great apes and those in captive environments.
And
that it encourages the development of two-way communication with their
caregivers, something that Koko has had since she was a baby.
Koko, who was born at San Francisco Zoo, has spent most of her life at The Gorilla Foundation in Woodside.
According
to the foundation's website, she spent a lot of her time with two male
gorillas - but did not initiate mating with either. She formed a
'sibling relationship' with one, which died in 2000, and is yet to show
interest in mating with the other, despite getting along with them 'very
well'.
She
is also living in an unnatural social situation - and attempts to bring
other female gorillas into the family have apparently failed.
Close bond: Koko was exposed to spoken
English from an early age and can apparently understand 2,000 words of
the spoken language
Tender: The grey cat is seen snuggling
up to Koko, who does not have babies of her own but has previously
signed she would like some
Wanting attention: Little kittens were
filmed desperately trying to get out of an animal carrier bag in order
to snuggle up to the great ape
A post on the site reads: 'Koko's greatest wish is to have a baby of her own.
'We've
known this for years, as she often signs the word BABY and carries her
gorilla dolls the way gorilla mothers carry their babies.
'She even pretends that her baby dolls can sign by molding their arms and hands in play or in response to questions.'
Koko
has also previously expressed a love for kittens, asking foundation
workers for a cat for Christmas in 1984 via her 'sign language'.
The gorilla's vocal and breathing behaviours associated with the ability to talk were thought to be impossible in her species.
In
the 1930s and 40s, a number of psychologists attempted to raise
chimpanzees alongside human children, attempting and failing to teach
them to speak. Since then it has been generally accepted that apes are
not able to voluntarily control the sounds they produce or even their
breathing.
Experts
also believed the vocal repertoire of each ape species to be fixed, so
that they are unable to learn new sounds and breathing patterns.
This would suggest the human ability to speak is unique.
Postdoctoral
researcher Marcus Perlman said: 'This idea says there's nothing that
apes can do that is remotely similar to speech.
'And
therefore, speech essentially evolved - completely new - along the
human line since our last common ancestor with chimpanzees.'
Maternal instinct: Koko is filmed
signing 'cat' during the encounter. The gorilla's maternal and play
instincts have apparently 'kicked in'
Dr
Perlman, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, started research work
at The Gorilla Foundation in 2010, where Koko has spent more than 40
years living immersed with humans and interacting for hours a day with
psychologist Penny Patterson and biologist Ron Cohn.
'I
went there with the idea of studying Koko's gestures, but as I got into
watching videos of her, I saw her performing all these amazing vocal
behaviours,' he said. The vocal and breathing behaviours he saw were
thought to be impossible, he said.
Together
with Nathaniel Clark of the University of California, Santa Cruz, he
sifted 71 hours of video of Koko interacting and found repeated examples
of her performing nine different voluntary behaviours that required
control over her vocalisation and breathing.
These were learned behaviours and not part of the typical gorilla repertoire, seemingly disproving previous theories.
The
researchers observed Koko blowing a 'raspberry' when she wanted a
treat, blowing her nose into a tissue, playing wind instruments, blowing
on a pair of glasses before wiping them with a cloth and mimicking
phone conversations by chattering wordlessly into a telephone cradled
between her ear and the crook of an elbow.
'She doesn't produce a pretty, periodic sound when she performs these behaviours, like we do when we speak,' Dr Perlman says.
'But she can control her larynx enough to produce a controlled grunting sound.'
KOKO THE GORILLA WAS MOVED BY ROBIN WILLIAMS' DEATH
News of Robin Williams's untimely death last year hit Koko hard.
The gorilla's handlers said she was moved nearly to tears by the news that her friend had passed away.
In
2001, Williams visited the Gorilla Foundation centre and quickly
befriended Koko, making her laugh for the first time in six months.
When
her carers explained to Koko, who is fluent in American Sign Language,
that a friend of the center had died, she soon became sad and was
pictured sitting hunched over with a quivering lip.
In 2001, Robin
Williams visited the Gorilla Foundation and quickly befriended Koko,
making her laugh for the first time in six months
Koko even signed the words 'cry lip' - lip being her word for woman - as she watched staff reacting to the news.
'She became extremely sad, Dr Penny Patterson wrote on Koko.org.
Footage from the day Koko and Williams met is as uplifting as his suicide is tragic.
The actor arrived there as a stranger to the gorilla with a personal interest in ape conservation. He left as Koko's friend.
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