Koko was born on July 4, 1971 at the San Francisco Zoo, California. Dr. Francine Patterson, a leading researcher in the study of interspecies behavior and communication, and an advocate for the conservation of gorillas and other endangered animals, became Koko’s primary caretaker and instructor alongside other scientists within the a project at Stanford University.
Patterson set out to teach the gorilla a sign-based language, convinced that the largest primates in the world, with a genetic code 95 to 98% similar to ours, had the ability to learn and communicate in a similar way to humans. .
The gorilla soon surprised the researcher with her extraordinary ability to develop sign language. The first ones she mastered were “eat”, “drink” and “gorilla” and after five years she had learned about two hundred.
For more than four decades, Patterson managed to teach Koko more than a thousand signs of the American language and two thousand words with which she communicated and empathized with humans. She even invented some, such as, for example, “finger bracelet” when referring to the “ring” that her instructor wore, the result of a combination of the signs “bracelet” and “finger” that the gorilla knew.
What had begun as a scientific project became a tender and moving relationship between the gorilla and her caregiver, which allowed the intelligent and sensitive primate to not only express her most basic needs, but also her emotions. A true example of the connection that can be established between different species.
Another example of the gorilla’s ability to transmit emotions was when her tailless kitten, All Ball, with whom she played and whom she cared for with maternal love and extraordinary delicacy, was run over and killed. His instructor told her that she would not see him again, and Koko clearly expressed his sadness through sign language, using signs such as “sad” or “sleep cat.” Broken with pain, the gorilla cried and screamed bitterly.
When researcher Maureen Sheehan questioned her about death, Koko’s response was surprising when she stated that her kind dies due to “problems” or because they are “old”, that they go to a “comfortable place” and that after death , gorillas are neither sad nor happy, they simply “sleep.”
Koko adored felines and despite the pain of losing All Ball, she later adopted Smoky, a gray cat, who curiously also had no tail and for whom she took great care and affection.
The image of these small felines in the hands of such a powerful and imposing primate is absolutely touching. How gently she held them, cradled them, or played with them, and how confidently the cats snuggled into the gorilla’s loving arms.
In 2001, Robin Williams had an unforgettable encounter with Koko during which he tried on her glasses, and laughed at the actor’s jokes and comical gestures, while responding empathetically with facial cues and expressions. Koko also asked him to tickle her, which caused more laughter. In a playful moment, the gorilla opened his pants pocket and took his wallet, generating more laughter and complicity between them. The final warm hug with the words “Koko ama” highlights the connection that was established between them, demonstrating the primate’s ability to interact with a human being.
When they told her the sad news of the actor’s death, the gorilla cried and dejectedly remembered the meeting they had had, how they connected and how much he had made her “laugh.” Koko again expressed her sensitivity, as if she understood the weight of loss and the importance of remembering the one who had touched her heart.
On the other hand, Koko expressed a notable interest in climate change and his concern for protecting the planet. Within the framework of the Paris Climate Change Conference, known as COP21, Koko sent a moving and forceful message to nations during a communication session: “I am a gorilla. I am flowers and animals. I am nature. Koko loves the man. Koko loves the Earth. But the man is stupid. Idiot! Koko laments. Koko cries. Time flies. Help the Earth! Protect the Earth! “Nature watches them.”
Koko’s sensitivity towards topics like the one we just discussed or the emotional connection that she shared in her life with beings of other species allows us to talk about the concept of empathy developed by the German philosopher and theologian Edith Stein.
Influenced by Husserl’s phenomenological current, which seeks to understand human experience as it is presented in our consciousness, without prejudices or prior interpretations, Stein was one of the first women to achieve the summa cum laude qualification in her thesis entitled On the problem of empathy with the support of the German philosopher and mathematician.
For Edith Stein, empathy is the act through which an individual immerses himself in the experience of another to understand his emotional and mental world. According to Stein, this act implies an openness toward the other, a conscious effort to understand them from within without passing moral judgment.
Through empathy, the subject can experience the reality of another and establish an authentic connection with their experience. Empathy is not limited to a single experience, but is a continuous process that involves both past and present experiences to achieve a deeper understanding of the other, always respecting their otherness, that is, without ever seeking to take advantage of that relationship.
In summary, Stein approached empathy from a comprehensive perspective, where will, intelligence and memory play a fundamental role in the formation of these experiences.
Throughout her life, Koko instinctively demonstrated empathy towards the beings around her, both human and animal, until she died at the age of forty-six in her refuge in the Santa Cruz Mountains, in her sleep.
The intelligent gorilla, without intending it or maybe yes?, invited us to reflect on our relationship with other species and allowed us to recognize the emotional world of animals and the varied language with which they do not speak.
