Watch Koko the Gorilla Use Sign Language in This 1981 Film | National Geographic
Vložit
- čas přidán 21. 06. 2018
- Watch Koko the signing gorilla in this clip from a 1981 National Geographic documentary. Koko died in her sleep on Tuesday, June 19, 2018.
➡ Subscribe: bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe
About National Geographic:
National Geographic is the world's premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that matter and past the edge of what's possible.
Get More National Geographic:
Official Site: bit.ly/NatGeoOfficialSite
Facebook: bit.ly/FBNatGeo
Twitter: bit.ly/NatGeoTwitter
Instagram: bit.ly/NatGeoInsta
Read more in "Why Koko the Gorilla Mattered"
news.nationalgeographic.com/2...
Watch Koko the Gorilla Use Sign Language in This 1981 Film | National Geographic
• Watch Koko the Gorilla...
National Geographic
/ natgeo
Koko the gorilla was renowned for her emotional depth and ability to communicate in sign language. What resonates with you the most when remembering Koko's accomplishments?
I wonder what is Kokos IQ.
National Geographic now I really want a movie about this
Her depth of understanding.
Strangely enough how intellectually capable she was for being an animal
National Geographic I remember her intellect in how to sign and the most thing that really resonates is her emotion. Her sadness over the loss of her kitten , her laughter n smiles wen happy and her deep connection with her caretaker. It breaks my heart she is gone but her spirit and legecy will forever live on..I pray that it will change ppl s view of gorillas aside from not have the ability to speak that they really do have a voice, they are vital to our world and i pray because of Koko itll change ppls view towards gorilla
I remember her. She was quite a big deal back in the days. Sad to learn her passing. I remember her being sad over her dead pet cat. Indeed she was exceptionally intelligent. Thanks for sharing National Geographic.
Azliana Lyana
We shall miss you
Signs oof
The most amazing thing was her Oscar nomination for her role in "precious"
And when she learned that Robin Williams died, she was really sad for hours
One of the most beautiful beings to ever walk the earth.
Exactly. A "being". We humans to recognize these hyper intelligent species and self aware species for what they are, BEINGS, just like us. They deserve rights and our respect
Tim Standaert you got that in one mate she was more human than most humans and she was harmless
Just one of the earth's infinite number of beautiful beings. This one's common capacities were developed in a novel way, but all life is equally miraculous.
Agree, but whats her name?
Amen
Koko deserves more recognition than Harambe.
She was so much more than just an experiment.
I remember seeing her in documentaries and with Robin Williams and was always fascinated by her and what she meant.
She was like a gateway to understand animals and their thoughts/behaviour. For anyone to transcend that barrier and understand the concepts of communication is truly a great feat.
Rest in peace koko.
Totally agree, thought of the same thing. Since watching Koko for the first time years ago, my mindset on animals is totally different, it's easier with primates though.
Thanks for sharing, koko deserves allot of recognition for her inteligent perception
and much much war was very intresting to watch documentaries on her.
Quetzocoatlas Gamer: ???????? WHAT DO YOU MIND?
I completely agree...KoKos life was so important...she changed the way we think and feel about animals...
@Quetzocoatlas Gamer watch my tonge? Why? I still don´t understand. Because I love Koko? Because I think gorillas are beautiful and clever creatures? I don´t understand.
Penny said: "Koko, this needs to be stirred", with no signing, and Koko reaches for the straw.
I'd be interested to know if that was a ritual that was repeated often in their training, or novel problem solving. It's far more impressive if it's novel.
Such an intelligent koko.❤
@@BlGGESTBROTHER But he still needs to understand the words, doesn't he?
Penny speaks while signing so she understands some spoken words
@@akina3673 1:42 she speaks without signing
There's a story that Michael signed about how his mother was shot and killed by poachers. If Michael didn't know how language worked, he wouldn't be able to convey his feelings in a full story. The great apes have more complex minds them most people think. Koko and Michael taught us that, but now her legacy is all we have of her left. Thank you for teaching us what you and your species are capable of.
but muh religion
I hope those poachers are pushing up daisies.
As I recall, “sharp noise loud” and “cut neck” were parts of michael’s story
Did you know we’re great apes? Just saying, not trying to be offensive.
Yes I am well aware of that fact, but certain people still think that Cro-Magnon and Neanderthals were far less intelligent than modern humans. However, it was more than likely that we all has about the same amount of cognizance as our ancient brethren.
It wasn't just mimicking.I remember when her trainer signed to her that her pet cat died and koko cried for 3 days and made the hand signal "gorilla sad, gorilla cry". So she obviously understood what that meant. When a parrot says words, it doesnt understand what they mean. It's just imitating the sound.
A bird can understand as well and they all have feelings not just gorillas, the gorillas can understand so much and are very smart yes and learned to express thru sign language, but you can't assume birds don't express themselves as well, they express themselves in different ways never like gorillas but different,
Dan Elicker.......I have blue front amazon parrot and trust me they do know about language.....for an example..I had a friend come over to my place and my parrot said '' who's that?'' and one time my parrot was chasing my cockatiel ( she hates her) and I hit my parrot's cage and she stopped chasing my cockatiel and turned around and looked at me and said '' what... what are you doing?''. she invented my name and she always call me ..'' hey babe''. LOL. Yep parrots understand language.
you dont "remember" any of this. you heard the story wholesale and are repeating it as if you ever stopped to question any element of the story
@@michaelwerkov3438 A common problem amongst internet users. Actually it's an epidemic.
I heard there was a very smart parrot who died of heart attack. He was an exception among parrots, though. His name was Alex.
"In 1979, I stayed up all night to complete a 20-page application for a grant, then went out to lunch. Big mistake. By the time I got back, Alex had chewed right through it. ‘How could you do such a thing?’ I shrieked.
Alex cowered a little, then looked straight into my eyes and said: ‘I’m sorry ... I’m sorry.’ I’d never taught him these words, so I was utterly astonished. Then I recalled that I’d yelled at him once before, after he knocked a cup of coffee to the floor. Instantly regretting my outburst, I’d apologised."
I can't imagine the pain Penny must be in every day without KOKO. I know she has been criticized for many things but she loved KOKO. The pain must be intense.
stuff like losing a relative
Why was she criticized?
@@Kuralai95 Because scientists were skeptical of Penny and believed that her interpretations of Koko were wrong.
stuff o
@@lordfrog5740 the irony was it's the scientists who criticized her. Seems like they have smaller brains than average humans, too much doubt.
RIP Koko. Hopefully you see all the kitties and Robin Williams
Stack Nelson I hope so too
😔😞😢
And Mr. Rogers
I just wish I could do this with dogs and cats teaching an animal sign language is an open portal into their thoughts
You would be disappointed
What got me was when she told Koko that her drink needed to be stirred and she did it. That’s showing tremendous comprehension.
Or just conditioning. You don't know what took place off camera. I could teach a dog to be as responsive to the same terms.
@@andybaldman you can’t touch your dog sign language tho
My dog understands series of words. E.g. 'go fetch your blue rope toy then come here' or ' say bye to Brendan' . Therefore I find it very easy to believe that Koko understands stirring.
Koko was very intelligent
A gentle, kind and magnificent life force. See you around, KoKo...
Star Gazer She is signing Koko love down on us from heaven!!
Koko will always be remembered in my family. My older sister who is 48 & is also deaf loved Koko the neat part is they share the same birthday. July 4th
that's so lovely!!
hbd :)
When Koko stirred with the little straw.. that was cute.
This amazing lady will be missed :(
she dead?
Ahmet1445: Yes, some moths ago. At 46 years old. One of the most beautiful and smartest beings in the world.
@@mrosag1405 are we talking about the woman or the gorilla?!
She is not dead but she is about 70 right now
um, she was not a lady. you do realize you're talking about a wild animal who was caged, and "taught" its entire life, correct?
Though Koko was not human in a way she was she was the gateway for understanding the beings that inhabit this world along side us and i remember being amazed at her ways of speaking and she will be greatly missed.
Her communication skills were outstanding with a vocabulary of more than 1,000 signs and the ability to understand 2,000 words of spoken English. We agree that Koko will be missed!
BURf: I think she was human, because she was the best of humanity: a caring being who was able to feel and show love, compassion and empathy.
@@NatGeo p
@@NatGeo I thought this was supposed to be an educational channel, why are you feeding into this lie and pure scam that koko truly understood the signs she was trained to perform via cues? She was never capable of holding a conversation and did not actually understand the english language. Her entire life was simply training to perform signs and then they edited them together to form sentences. Koko never understood what the meaning behind these sentences.
Yes
Why do some people find it so hard to accept that animals think, feel and communicate ? They're intelligent, sentient and self aware. It's as plain as day.
Because they don't want to. It makes them feel powerful and special. Same with people who don't want to accept that we're related to apes.
Humans are animals.
Because it reminds people that we are animals also and that doesn’t really sit well with religious people who think that we are Gods special little angels and animals were simply placed here for our benefit
They do, but not in the way we do
Are you vegan?
I'm about to turn 30 and my heart stopped just a little bit when reading the date of her passing. My condolences. Her story was one of my favorites since I was 5 years old.
Dario G. Pastore
I feel the same and I'm 34
Bless your heart
How can you you not be totally amazed by this
*Incredibly sad news...RIP Koko!*
I can't believe she's gone... She was an amazing and intelligent woman (our species are close, remember) and I remember how much she loved her kittens.
She was a gorilla not a woman, and she never understood the english language, she just did signs she was trained to do when she saw or heard certain things. It's called triggers not actual understanding of language and communication.
Bruh how do you think we learn the languages? There have been multiple times where she has signed naturally, you just don’t want to accept that a gorilla isn’t so much inferior to you huh?
@@SinfullyHera If by signed naturally you mean picked up on a cue and made an appropriate sign like she was taught to do? Sure. But can she hold a conversation with those signs? No, and she never did at any point in her life. And how do we learn languages? Because our brains are capable of combining words using grammatical rules, while apes will spend their entire life just learning to imitate. We are different. Penny saw what she wanted to see in Koko but it was never an actual advanced human language capable of holding a conversation between a human and a gorilla.
@@yuunpaan580 We're apes too ya know, you're not so much superior to Koko, you just don't want to admit that your "human superiority" isn't as superior as you want to fool yourself into believing.
@@SinfullyHera I know that you're just trying to sound woke but its really cringe bro. Please tell me the last time non-human primates build a rocket and went to the moon. Idk if you're memeing or actually have some kind of inferiority complex but all of these similarities youre speaking of are 6 million years behind our evolution. Our brains are different, koko was simply an ape trained to see/hear cues and respond to them with signs. She never understood the language enough to hold an intelligible conversation with it, it's that simple. There is no fooling yourself into believing that our brains are much more advanced than theirs. You've watched planet of the apes too many times.
Smarter than some humans !!
some...?
Than u
Priscilla McAliley smarter
Than liberals. And that's a FACT
@Susan: Don't embarrass yourself.
its actually 65-70, close to 70
I think that Coco and her handler are both absolutely beautiful and the kindness they show each other is so sweet.
My mother just told me that koko passed away and I started to cry, although I usually don't cry often. But she was always very special, and her loving and caring attitude surprised and fascinated me. Rest in peace, your love will not be forgotten.
This is a hoax and you're...just...wow.
I had to put my dog down yesterday I’m already in shambles. Can this be some terrible joke. It was my dream as a kid to become friends with koko. Learn how she thinks. Rest in peace you sweet being. I know I’ll miss you and many others will also.
Peruvian Ninja you're using your dog's death to fish likes(if you're being truthful). shame, no one here needs to know that. if you seek empathy go outside and make a friend
One of our family cats just passed, and in watching other videos to help grieve i found Koko mouring her cat, and just recently heard Koko herself had passed. Rest in peace, All Ball and Koko are playing and cuddling in heaven.
Peruvian Ninja sorry for your loss!
I was saddened to learn of Koko's passing! I truly believe that animals have a place in Heaven.
GTALawEnforcer LCPDFR - LSPDFR thank you for sharing your story. I’m sorry for your loss. Losing pets is losing a part of the family, losing a best friend. I’m glad this video helped you as it is helping me. Love is the only cure for grief and I’m learning that now.
jeffjaco69 thank you that means a lot actually. I know that we are strangers but knowing you could have just been mean about it instead of being very human and caring means so much rn. God bless you whatever god you believe in is looking down and smiling at us right now.
We need more Koko’s out there.
Also as an anthropologist/archaeologist not only was this beautiful to see but also the fact Koko was making art on that paper was absolutely insane. I know it’s not uniquely human and elephants have done it too, but it’s something largely regarded as a huge achievement and example of material culture we can still learn from today. Idk this just made me happy and excited, I just wish we could do it more with passionate scientists like this woman leading the charge
Seeing Koko change out the card of the view master, bring it up to her face and look into it while cranking away absolutely blew my mind. You could absolutely convince someone that that was a human in a costume at that moment.
R.I.P. Koko. She was an inspiration to the world.
"Rest in peace Koko with your two babies!" Koko will be remembered for me.
I didn't blink for a the whole video. This is beautiful. I wish koko had off springs and taught them sign language too.
Who would have ever though a giant gorilla would love pet kittens and her favorite film was Tea with Mussolini. You can't make this stuff up. What a gift Koko gave us to better understand our brothers and sisters on this planet. People tend to vastly underestimate the intelligence and emotional depth of animals, but thanks to her life and friendship we know just how sensitive these beings are. Thank you Koko, may you rest peacefully.
It's sad that Koko has passed away. She has left a ground breaking legacy regarding the intelligence of non-human beings.
This is the first I've heard of this.. I'm heartbroken.
The way research is done nowadays, there will never be another great ape who will have the kind of time, steady 'family' unit of keepers, and media interest to be able to really explore their potential for language, and hence, the ability to communicate her inner 'selfness' that Koko had. There are some other signers out there.. some are stunningly good.. but none of them have what Koko had in that sense, or likely ever will. I hope that changes.
Thank you Koko.. It was a pleasure to have been allowed, even if only through the lense of TV, to get to know you.
New Message
There's also Kanzi.
He was from Koko's generation. He's still around, but he's getting up there in age. He also learned to create fire.
He may not look like us talk like us but i know there is a human emotion and life within him. Rest and peace koko i hope your happy up there.
@Scooby Dubbiez actually he was a "she", female Western lowland gorilla. She was overweight, looked a bit like a male.
All animals have their own type of intelligence. God bless you coco!
Fun fact: koko ripped out a sink and blamed it on her cat.
i ran over my cat
Lmao
Koko is a mood
Thank you Koko for showing us a glimpse of your world, for talking to us, and for showing how compassionate and intelligent you were. Yours was a life enriched by language, but limited by captivity and the yearning for babies. Complex, like the human condition. R.I.P. with your kittens, sweet Koko
koko never talked to anyone she was just taught and aware of certain triggers to perform certain signs. It's not the same as being capable of holding a conversation.
Bless your simple heart
The whole world misses Koko, the miraculous gorilla.
She is so adorable in the documentary
This has me in tears I never saw this before, I was too young back then, I had only heard of Koko. But oh boy without a doubt are humans and gorillas related seeing these recordings. We really should preserve their species :(
Even dogs can understand words and especially voice inflections, but those were examples of obvious understanding of what needed to be done. Using the straw to stir without seeing Penny sign was a remarkable example. Even if Koko had done it a number of times, to understand the words without signing and then follow with actions shows intelligence.
RIP Koko we will never forget you.
Красавица Коко. Это настоящее доверие и дружба между человеком и животным👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
It is amazing how smart these animals are. We will miss koko and her cleverness.
it wont because everyone knows it was fake
She was so special and had more Empathy and Compassion than most humans. I enjoyed watching her videos and was amazed at her abilities. I only found them about 2 weeks ago and am heartbroken to read that she has passed. I am happy though that she had such a good life, full of love, care and learning and fun!!Rest in Peace Koko.......you brought happiness and smiles to everyone you met, you made a difference in this world........sending love to Heaven to you Koko......Rhonda, Bob and Family......
Michael remembers his mother killed... When I watched it something got into my eyes...
It is now August 2020, and I still cry over Koko passing. Loved watching her with her kitten and reacting to humans. Sad day when we lost her.
For no reason my tears came out when I heard that Koko die in her sleeps, I remember how her stories were told and her husband die and her best friend Robert Williams also died I saw her sadness just like any other human, she also thinks we are slow learners for we don't often understand her sign language other than her human mother, they have definitely have mother and daughter relationship, the most rare gorilla to be more human like emotion.
i’ve been so fascinated with koko and especially her relationship with penny. it’s just so charmingly beautiful and koko is truly one of the most beautiful beings i’ve ever heard of.
Although their vocabulary is very limited, they think so quickly and they have such an impressive understanding
I always liked when koko sign about love rip ..... ❤👑
*I'm in deep love with koko. May your soul rest in peace koko.*💜💜💜
Even though I know Koko passed away almost 6 years ago and her team may never see this, I just wanted to thank you Koko for the difference that you and your story inspired my early life, my teenage years and my adult life. I just turned 40 a few months ago and I'm proud to tell you that my daughter is a forever fan and we bought tapes of almost everything that you appeared in to use for homeschool. I'm so happy that I can f feel like a child again and just marvel at what an intelligent, loving and caring girl you were. Rest In Paradise Koko.
Incredible affection for life, I can't believe the saddnes Patti must feel!! Koko was beautiful and so smart
Omg I remember seeing vids of her when I was little. I was so happy to see her playing with Robin Williams and saddened to see her reaction to his death!
So sad to hear of her passing.
This girl is a one off, there will never be another Koko. 🙏
I love how the sink is filled with dishes just like mine
So sad her death :-( 😖 😢
we should always ask questions about studies like this, and sometimes these things can be too good to be true - especially studies with low replicability. that being said, i want to believe in studies like this, and washoe, because it looks authentic, and they really do look like they were given good lives within the confines of their experiments
This is amazing and the lady with koko is so patient
This is truly amazing, and what a pure soul! Rest in peace koko
This is amazing how the gorilla is able to talk, if other animals learn this, they can community with us and they can share their thoughts!
it wasnt able to talk, it was trained to perform signs that it didnt understand. Koko never held an actual conversation with a human.
@@yuunpaan580 how do u know
I am so shocked to see Koko act so much like a human! She was truly an amazing soul who lived a great life. She was just as human as any of us. So astoundingly smart. I hope that wherever she is, she's happy and smiling.
There are so many moments where I wished I got the opportunity to meet Koko :( She inspires me and every time I watch her videos, I always tear up. Rest in peace Koko! The kittens and I love you :(
It would be great if something like this project would happen again. Rest in peace Koko.
The closest we have ever been communicating with another animal. She was a wonder.
I love how she used the camera thingy
She really is intelligent
Koko was not only a much loved, intelligent gorilla and part of important research for human understanding, she was also a beautiful soul who was able to express her feelings in a way we haven't seen from other gorillas in a similar situation.
But besides this, we seem to forget and fail to celebrate that it was Penny who was also instrumental in making this relationship so special and successful. She has such a bright and beautiful spirit, combining love and laughter with her teaching and research in such a way that it enabled Koko to connect deeply with her, trust her, and share her vulnerabilities.
Kudos to this remarkable pair who gave us all so much. 💜
I know there will always be more ape communication studies but Koko will always be the most remembered.
There couldn’t of been a better person to raise her 💕
She was so blessed to have someone who could teach her sign language 😩. They’re both amazing!
I miss you Koko 🥺 Thank you for giving light and joy during your stay here.
This story must be write down in human's history. Thank you Koko and Michael. Rest in peace.
Rip Koko
Wow, when Koko did the children picture exam. The thought behind the tiger, she had a hesitance as she points out what is weird about the human and the “dog” or tiger you see. Almost like she didn’t see what was wrong with a human being with a tiger. Which points is to modern and past racism, a learned and forced upon trait to humans which is most likely what the trainer did, taught her it is weird to see a tiger with a human, which, yes... in certain terms, it is, but it shouldn’t be a factor that differences what is ok and not ok. This shows absence of preference in animals to animals, which has a considerably big meaning to me.
So sorry to hear she passed away..she was beautiful and unique..god bless you guys
Thank you for sharing this beautiful memory of Koko 🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️🦍
awww, r.i.p. koko :(
RIP Koko
Koko led a good life.... and had such compassion for her family of kittens.🐱♥️
I've known about koko for about the past 15 years or so and have often spoken about her, and yet this video is the first i'm hearing about her passing. How did I not know about this?
RIP KOKO😓
This is absolutely fascinating 😧
They have have the most wonderful smile, it just instantly makes you smile too.
She is so beautiful.. a magnificent life ! Thanks for teaching the humans the wonder around you KoKo. . .
R.i.p. Koko.
Rest In Peace Koko 😟
Rest In Peace, Koko, you will be sorely missed.
Rest in peace... Love... Respect...
May Coco rest in peace to be remembered by all
We miss you buddy
I have loved you Koko my whole life, even had Koko's Kitten...rest in peace gentle sweet girl...you are forever a part of my childhood and heart ❤
Can't believe she left this world last month.. she is meaningful to everyone
Rest In Peace,Koko.
RIP COCO 😢 the link that shows how a bizarre animal showing human actions 👍
Big big heart and so much understanding, very special being...
Love watching these snips she was a very special lady x
This just proves that life itself is a mystery
R.i.p sweetheart
I loved it how KoKo called humans stupid! He is right!
This made me very sad. Violence and or death in animals upsets me deeply. AND Koko passed on my birthday. What a lovely gift.