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In 1972 Dr. Francine Patterson began teaching American Sign Language to a 1-year-old gorilla named Koko. In the longest running animal language exit to date, Koko spent 27 years developing a vocabulary of over 1,000 words.

Even more impressive than the breadth of Koko's vocabulary is the way in which she uses these signs to express herself. Koko is able to do so much more than simply iden... More

In 1972 Dr. Francine Patterson began teaching American Sign Language to a 1-year-old gorilla named Koko. In the longest running animal language exit to date, Koko spent 27 years developing a vocabulary of over 1,000 words.

Even more impressive than the breadth of Koko's vocabulary is the way in which she uses these signs to express herself. Koko is able to do so much more than simply identify objects; she has a very active emotional life and often conveys feelings of love, grief and even embarrassment. When asked who she is, Koko has been known to sign "Fine animal gorilla." When given a pet kitten, she named it "All Ball" because it had no tail, and when bitten by the kitty, Koko would sign "Cat bit. Obnoxious." But ever patient and caring, Koko loved and nurtured Ball as any mother would.

Beautiful full-color photographs help to demonstrate Koko's enormous sensitivity end understanding.

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