Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

In memory of Koko, a very special gorilla

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As you may have heard, The Gorilla Foundation sadly shared that Koko the gorilla passed away in her sleep on June 19th. People the world over have been moved by Koko and her story, as well as the two other gorillas at The Gorilla Foundation, Michael, who became part of Project Koko, learning American Sign Language with Koko until his passing in 2000, and Ndume, who was brought to The Gorilla Foundation from the Cincinnatti Zoo in the hopes of forming a bond with Koko, and currently still resides there.

As humans we tend to be intrigued, if not deeply passionate about our fellow great apes. We often see so much of ourselves in them, but also so much of them in ourselves. We are mesmerized by the beautiful, creative, unique, complicated, intelligent and emotional individuals they are.

We’ve been touched this week by friends of  the chimpanzees who have chosen to make a difference in their lives by sponsoring days of sanctuary as a way to honor Koko and the unique person she was.

Arva Roland sponsored today’s day of sanctuary “in memory of Koko, a very special gorilla.” Our hearts and thoughts are with all those who cared for and loved Koko.

Koko (photo credit to Ron Cohn and The Gorilla Foundation):

Arva, thank you for your compassion and for remembering Koko today. Your heartfelt gift makes a lasting difference in the lives of the chimpanzees and we appreciate you including them as you honor Koko and her life.

Negra:

Burrito:

Foxie and Jamie:

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Comments

  2. Reading about Negra and Missy pulled on my heartstrings. I am sure there is a sense of security in what is familiar, for Negra solitude may bring a sense of familiar comfort. But at least at CSNW, even if Negra does choose to be out of the fray at times, she has her big windows and her beautiful scenery to enjoy. After being forced to live in isolation and a dark basement, watching the cows and trains must seem like paradise. I am always deeply touched by the friendships between the chimps and the true sense of family they have built. It is a gift to all of us too.

    These photos are so lovely Diana, your black and white magic once again! Love the way the highlights force your eye on the girls hands in the second photo. Be sure to tell Negra and Missy how much I care for them.

    • Tobin, Koko was indeed a fascinating, utterly beautiful and charming ambassador for her species. But I have strongly mixed feelings about here life and the (I believe pathological) relationship she had with her keeper. Koko taught us a great deal about her species but she also deserved a better life, beyond a trailer.

      She took love where she found it — people, her kittens and cats — but dear heavens she deserved to know her own kind. I echo Dame Daphne Sheldrick’s comments about the elephants she rescued and for whom she cried each time one returned to the wild: it is their birthright and who are we to interfere with that. It’s selfish to do otherwise.

      • Regarding Koko’s welfare, I will defer judgment to those who were/are more apprised of the circumstances of her living quarters. I was under the impression that she resided in a wooded, rural
        setting with at least one other gorilla. In that regard, I may have been misinformed. Needless to say, I think that great apes who live outside of their indigenous habitats need
        a facility like that provided by the CSNW: sufficient acreage in which to roam,
        climb, and forage in the companionship of others of their species. Much as I
        admire the work which Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo performs in advocating for their gorillas and
        chimpanzees, even there I would still like to see more physical space for the apes to live and move and have their being: they are not obligated to be on “display” for human primates.

    • Beautiful. I was overwhelmed with happy tears. The Chimps inspire in so many ways.

  4. Oh dear. I am afraid I didn’t know this news until I saw the headline in your blog post email today. I follow Koko and was just thinking that I needed to visit their website as I hadn’t received a newsletter from them lately. This has been a extremely difficult time for me as I recently lost my shelter dog and I’ve been circling the drain so to speak. Seeing this headline honestly brought me to tears. Koko is someone I have followed for decades and it’s hard to image that this soulful ambassador for gorillas, and all captive and wild primates, will no longer grace this earth with her brilliance and beauty. And my heart breaks for Ndume. While I know they lived their lives more separated then The Cle Elum Seven, how lonely he must feel without his primate companion. And Penny, I almost believe I can imagine her pain, I am feeling something so similar. To spend every single day, side by side with a beloved animal friend is gift far beyond imagining, it is impossible to let go.

    Animal Farm Foundation, the shelter where I adopted my little dog (and where I volunteer and feed my soul), shared this beautiful message in the sympathy card they gave me. Next to Tobin’s heartfelt message, there isn’t anything better I could say:

    “…the linar progression of time that humans perceive is but one interpretation of reality. ‘Past and future’, ‘here and now’, ‘present and absent’ are just constructs that our human brains create in an attempt to package the vastness of universal existence into cognitively manageable pieces. Sometimes this results in the perception of loss where none exists.”

    Koko will never die. She will live on in all of us who marveled at her existence.

  5. I would very much appreciate finding out what the cause of Koko’s death was? I have been following her website written by her caretaker, Penny, for many years. I read that she did in her sleep, but, was it from old age? Had she been experiencing any illness?

    Thank you for any information you can provide.

    Diane M. Kastel
    Wheaton, IL

  6. Wonderful post, Katelyn, thank you. You articulated so well why we are fascinated with these beautiful, sentient creatures.