Koko - The Gorilla Who Talks

NARRATOR: HIDDEN IN THE HILLS OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, A FEW MILES SOUTH OF SAN FRANCISCO, LIES WOODSIDE--ONE OF THE WEALTHIEST TOWNS IN THE UNITED STATES.

IT IS HOME TO A HOST OF CELEBRITIES, INCLUDING A WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLA NAMED KOKO... [KOKO GROWLING] WHOSE LIFE CHALLENGES WHAT IT IS THAT MAKES HUMANS UNIQUE.

OVER 40 YEARS AGO, PENNY PATTERSON SET OUT TO DISCOVER IF HUMANS AND GORILLAS COULD EVER COMMUNICATE.

WOMAN: EVERYONE WHEN THEY'RE A CHILD HAS THAT DR. DOOLITTLE MOMENT WHERE THEY THINK, YOU KNOW, IF ONLY WE COULD TALK TO ANIMALS.

AND HERE WAS A CHANCE.

NARRATOR: WHAT BEGAN AS A PH.D. TO TEACH SIGN LANGUAGE TO KOKO TURNED INTO A LIFE-LONG RELATIONSHIP.

MAN: IT SEEMED LIKE PENNY WAS IN LOVE WITH KOKO IN THE WAY IN WHICH A MOTHER MIGHT BE IN LOVE WITH A DAUGHTER.

NARRATOR: NEWS ABOUT KOKO MADE HEADLINES ACROSS THE WORLD.

WOMAN: KOKO, WHO IS A PARTICULARLY INTELLIGENT GORILLA... MAN: KOKO IS THE SUBJECT OF THE LONGEST ONGOING APE-LANGUAGE STUDY.

NARRATOR: BUT THROUGHOUT THEIR TIME TOGETHER, PENNY HAS HAD TO FIGHT TO KEEP KOKO.

WOMAN: THE REALITY THAT IT REALLY WOULD END JUST DIDN'T ENTER OUR MINDS.

NARRATOR: NOW NEARLY HALF A CENTURY SINCE THE PROJECT BEGAN, THE LINE BETWEEN HUMANS AND APES IS BEING REDRAWN.

MAN: A COURT IN ARGENTINA HAS RULED THAT AN ORANGUTAN CAN BE GRANTED SOME OF THE LEGAL RIGHTS ENJOYED BY HUMANS.

NARRATOR: WITH OVER 2,000 HOURS OF FOOTAGE, COLLECTED OVER 44 YEARS, DOES PROJECT KOKO FINALLY PROVE THAT ANIMALS CAN COMMUNICATE THEIR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS WITH HUMANS... OR ARE THERE SOME THINGS THAT WILL ALWAYS SEPARATE US FROM OUR CLOSEST RELATIVES?

[GROWLING] NARRATOR: PROJECT KOKO IS THE LONGEST-RUNNING ANIMAL LANGUAGE STUDY IN HISTORY.

NOW THAT YOU HAVE YOUR KITTIES WITH YOU, HOW ARE YOUR EMOTIONS RIGHT NOW?

KOKO HAS EMOTIONS.

NARRATOR: AND EVEN NOW, KOKO SPENDS ALMOST EVERY DAY WITH PENNY AND RON COHN, WHO HAS FILMED THEM BOTH SINCE THE PROJECT BEGAN.

5, 6, 7, GOOD.

MAN: IT TAKES A COMMITMENT THAT VERY FEW PEOPLE HAVE.

I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYONE USE AS MUCH OF THEIR LIFE TO WORK ON AN EXPERIMENT AS PENNY HAS.

OK, THIS ONE IS ABOUT YOUR SLEEP LEVEL.

OR YOUR TIREDNESS.

OVER HERE YOU ARE NOT TIRED.

OVER HERE YOU ARE VERY TIRED.

PENNY, VOICE-OVER: REALLY, MY FASCINATION GROWING UP WAS WITH NON-HUMAN LIFE.

SHE'S RIGHT THERE AT... WAS IT 7 1/2?

PENNY, VOICE-OVER: SO, THIS WAS, LIKE, FABULOUS--THE BEST-- THE BEST EVER THING THAT COULD HAPPEN.

NARRATOR: KOKO NOW HAS A WHOLE TEAM OF CAREGIVERS, FUNDED BY PUBLIC DONATIONS TO THE GORILLA FOUNDATION, THE NONPROFIT SET UP BY PENNY AND RON, WHICH OVERSEES KOKO'S CARE AND AIMS TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR THE PLIGHT OF APES EVERYWHERE.

DRINKS AND THINGS... YEAH, YEAH.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER] MAN: PENNY, WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING TODAY?

PENNY: OH, KOKO'S BIRTHDAY.

YEAH, THIS IS A BIG DEAL.

KOKO WAS BORN--BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY.

SO WE'RE JUST LINING UP PRESENTS, AND, SO DID YOU GET THE ONES IN HERE?

NARRATOR: KOKO WILL SOON BE TURNING 44.

ALL OF HER BIRTHDAYS ARE CELEBRATED WITH CAKES, PARTIES, AND PRESENTS... ...[INDISTINCT] OF LOVE.

NARRATOR: NOW SENT IN FROM FANS ACROSS THE WORLD.

IT IS A LIFE NO ONE COULD HAVE PREDICTED WHEN IT ALL BEGAN.

BLOW IT OUT.

GOOD GIRL!

NARRATOR: KOKO WAS BORN TO HER MOTHER JACQUELINE IN 1971 AT THE SAN FRANCISCO ZOO.

MAN: SHE'S ACCEPTED THE CHILD AND SHE'S PROCEEDING TO RAISE IT.

THE GORILLA POPULATION IS DECLINING AND I THINK WE'RE SORT OF BECOMING A NOAH'S ARK.

NARRATOR: WHEN KOKO WAS BORN, PENNY AND RON, ALREADY A BUDDING PHOTOGRAPHER, WERE BOTH STUDENTS NEARBY AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY.

RON: I WAS A GRADUATE STUDENT AND WE MET AT ONE OF PENNY'S FRIEND'S PARTIES OR SOMETHING AND I GOT HER PHONE NUMBER.

SHE WAS DEFINITELY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN I'D EVER SEEN.

I'M SURE YOU WON'T PUT THAT IN, BUT SHE WAS.

NARRATOR: PENNY WAS A 24-YEAR-OLD STUDYING PSYCHOLOGY AT STANFORD WHEN THE FIELD OF ANIMAL COMMUNICATION WAS GOING THROUGH A REVOLUTION.

DO THIS, VIKI...[BLOWS] ANOTHER SOUND RESEMBLES THE LETTER K. VIKI--SIT UP, GIRL-- COME ON.

MAN: EARLIER ATTEMPTS TO TRY TO TEACH SPOKEN LANGUAGE, FOR INSTANCE, THEY DON'T HAVE THE-- THEY CAN'T GENERATE THE SOUNDS.

THEY DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER THE LIPS AND TONGUE THE WAY WE DO.

AND SOMEBODY HAD THE WIT TO TEACH SIGN LANGUAGE, YOU KNOW, TO HIS CHIMP, WASHOE.

NARRATOR: IN THE SIXTIES, WASHOE WAS RAISED LIKE A CHILD BY HUSBAND AND WIFE, ALLEN AND BEATRIX GARDNER.

THEY CLAIMED SHE COULD USE 350 SIGNS TO COMMUNICATE.

PENNY: I HAD ATTENDED A LECTURE BY THE GARDNERS AT STANFORD AND WAS REALLY INTERESTED IN THAT RESEARCH.

I JUST FELT THIS IS IT-- THIS IS WHAT I NEED TO DO.

NARRATOR: FOR HER PH.D., PENNY HAD BEEN VISITING THE SAN FRANCISCO ZOO SEARCHING FOR AN APE SHE COULD TEACH TO SIGN.

PENNY: WE MET WITH THE DIRECTOR AND ASKED IF WE COULD WORK WITH THE GORILLAS.

WE WENT TO SEE THE FAMILY, ZOO FAMILY, AND KOKO WAS IN MUM'S ARMS AND THERE WAS-- SHE HAD A SIBLING WHO WAS KIND OF RUNNING AROUND.

NARRATOR: PENNY ASKED IF SHE COULD WORK WITH KOKO, BUT BECAUSE GORILLAS IN THE WILD CLING TO THEIR MOTHERS FOR THE FIRST FEW MONTHS OF LIFE, THE ZOO DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD BE FAIR TO TAKE KOKO AWAY FROM HER FAMILY.

BUT WHEN SHE WAS JUST 6 MONTHS OLD, THEY WERE LEFT WITH NO CHOICE.

PENNY: SHE WAS RESCUED ONE DAY FROM DEATH AND TAKEN TO THE MEDICAL CENTER FOR TREATMENT.

SHE HAD BEEN STRAPPED DOWN SO THEY COULD KEEP AN I.V.

IN PLACE AND BASICALLY SAVE HER LIFE.

RON: SHE CONTRACTED SHIGELLA, WHICH IS A SERIOUS INTESTINAL PARASITE.

THE BROTHER TO KOKO, MOJA, DIED FROM IT.

KOKO WAS IN INTENSIVE CARE AND SHE GOT THROUGH IT.

NARRATOR: THE ZOO COULDN'T RETURN KOKO TO HER MOTHER AS THEY FEARED THE GROUP WOULD TREAT HER AS AN OUTSIDER.

SO SHE WAS HAND-REARED FOR THE NEXT 6 MONTHS IN THE ZOO'S NURSERY.

PENNY: WHEN I CAME BACK TO THE ZOO, THE KEEPER RECOGNIZED TO ME AND SAID, "DO YOU WANNA SEE KOKO?"

AND I SAID, "OF COURSE I DO," AND HE SAID, "SHE'S IN THE CHILDREN'S ZOO," AND HE TOOK ME TO SEE HER.

THAT DAY, THAT FIRST DAY THAT WE ACTUALLY GOT TO SEE HER, SHE WAS KINDA FEISTY.

SHE RAN AROUND AND GAVE ME A NIP ON THE ANKLE.

RON: I THINK WITHIN A FEW DAYS, PENNY STARTED WORKING WITH KOKO IN THE NURSERY AT THE ZOO.

NARRATOR: AS SOON AS PENNY STARTED TEACHING SIGN LANGUAGE TO KOKO, RON BEGAN TO FILM TO DOCUMENT THEIR PROGRESS.

PENNY: I DECIDED THAT IT WOULD BE GOOD TO FOCUS ON 3 SIGNS: EAT, DRINK, AND MORE.

THOSE WOULD COME UP A LOT DURING KEEPING KOKO GOING DURING THE DAY.

NARRATOR: PENNY MOLDED KOKO'S HANDS INTO SIGNS, HOPING SHE WOULD START TO USE THEM INDEPENDENTLY.

PENNY: IT HAPPENED PRETTY FAST.

I GUESS I WAS THINKING IT WOULD TAKE A LOT LONGER OR SOMETHING.

NARRATOR: IN THEIR FIRST YEAR AND A HALF TOGETHER, KOKO PICKED UP AROUND ONE NEW SIGN EACH MONTH.

RON: PENNY MADE LITTLE KOKO WORK, BUT KOKO WAS PRETTY SMART.

WOMAN: IT WAS LIKE THERE REALLY WAS SOMETHING SORT OF MIRACULOUS HAPPENING, NOT QUITE LIKE STEPPING ON THE MOON FOR THE FIRST TIME, BUT IT WAS THAT SORT OF FEELING THAT SOME SORT OF BRIDGE HAD BEEN CROSSED.

SOMEONE REALLY WAS COMMUNICATING WITH AN ANIMAL AND THAT ANIMAL WAS COMMUNICATING BACK.

NARRATOR: WITHIN JUST A FEW MONTHS, PENNY HAD NOTED KOKO COMBINING SIGNS TO EXPRESS HERSELF AND ASK FOR THINGS.

RON: I THINK KOKO LOVED IT--A PERSON THAT WAS THERE WITH HER FOR SO MANY HOURS AT A TIME.

SO IT, IT WAS A STRONG BOND TO BEGIN WITH, AND CERTAINLY KOKO WAS VERY INTERESTED IN LEARNING LANGUAGE OR ANYTHING AT THAT TIME.

MITZI: I THINK SPENDING THE TIME TOGETHER WITH KOKO BEING A BABY THAT THEY BONDED THE WAY A MOTHER AND A CHILD WOULD BOND.

PENNY: YOU JUST DON'T EXPECT A GORILLA TO BE THAT WAY.

YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY THINKS KING KONG, BIG, STUPID, DULL-WITTED, AND BIG AND BLUSTERY, AND SHE WAS SMALL AND SWEET AND CREATIVE.

SO IT WAS, IT WAS LIKE RAISING A KID.

SHE STILL NEED--VERY MUCH NEEDED TO BE ON THE MOM AT THAT AGE.

[GROWLING] NARRATOR: OVER 40 YEARS LATER, KOKO STILL SPENDS MOST OF HER TIME IN THE SAME MOBILE HOME SHE LIVED IN AT THE ZOO.

[GROWLING] BUT AS SHE'S GROWN TO NEARLY 300 POUNDS, THE WALLS HAVE HAD TO BE REINFORCED AND A LARGE OUTSIDE AREA ADDED.

WOMAN: UM, SO THAT'S HOW WE'RE GOING TO HANDLE LUNCH AGAIN TODAY... NARRATOR: WHEREAS WILD GORILLAS WILL SPEND AROUND 14 HOURS EACH DAY FORAGING AND FEEDING... ...AFTER 3 IS TOO LATE.

THEN WE'LL DO GREENS... NARRATOR: KOKO'S MEALS ARE COOKED BY HER CAREGIVERS, WHO ALSO GIVE HER VITAMINS, PUT ON HER FAVORITE DVDS, AND EVEN WRAP HER BIRTHDAY PRESENTS.

WOMAN: THE IDEA--BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE IN A SHARED LANGUAGE WITH SOMEONE WHO IS NOT A HUMAN.

YOU'RE DRAWN IN BY THAT BIG IDEA AND THEN WHEN YOU MEET THEM, IT BECOMES APPARENT TO YOU THAT THERE IS SOMEONE INSIDE THERE THAT IS UNIQUE.

UM, I DON'T THINK YOU CAN WALK AWAY WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT.

NARRATOR: PENNY NOW LIVES JUST A FEW MILES FROM KOKO SO SHE CAN SPEND ALMOST EVERY DAY WITH HER.

PENNY: AT THE BEGINNING BEFORE I STARTED, YOU KNOW, I OUTLINED THIS PROJECT AND PROPOSED IT TO THE ZOO AND THEY SAID, "YOU'RE NOT GONNA LEAVE AFTER, LIKE, 3 WEEKS LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, ARE YOU?"

AND I SAID, "OH, NO, I I'LL BE HERE AT LEAST 4 YEARS."

ALL RIGHT.

OK. NARRATOR: WHILE PENNY DRIVES IN, RON LIVES ON SITE, AND THEY BOTH GO IN WITH KOKO MOST AFTERNOONS.

[GROWLING] RON: SHE TAKES A LOT OF CARE AND A LOT OF TIME... [GROWLING] AND THAT DOESN'T CHANGE OVER TIME, SO WE SPEND AS MUCH TIME ALMOST AS WE EVER DID.

NARRATOR: KOKO HAD PICKED UP 80 SIGNS IN HER FIRST TWO YEARS AT THE ZOO, BUT DISTRACTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC WERE MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO PROGRESS FURTHER.

SO PENNY ASKED IF SHE COULD TAKE KOKO WITH HER TO STANFORD UNIVERSITY.

RON: WE GOT THE ZOO TO LOAN KOKO TO US.

SO IN 1974, WE MOVED HER DOWN TO STANFORD.

NARRATOR: NOW THAT KOKO WAS ON CAMPUS, RON COULD BE MORE INVOLVED WITH THE PROJECT-- FILMING A FEW TIMES A WEEK... AND PENNY WAS WITH KOKO EVERY DAY.

AWAY FROM THE ZOO, KOKO'S VOCABULARY INCREASED DRAMATICALLY.

RON: PEOPLE TEND TO LEARN LANGUAGE AT AN EXPONENTIAL RATE.

HERS WAS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, BUT SHE LEARNED FAST.

I MEAN, SHE DIDN'T FORGET THINGS.

IT WAS AMAZING--EVERY DAY OR EVERY WEEK, SOME NEW, INCREDIBLE THING WOULD HAPPEN OR NEW WORDS--SHE PICKED THEM UP CONSTANTLY.

EUGENE: WHEN I FIRST MET KOKO, I WAS INTRODUCED AS A FRIEND, WHICH IS A SIGN MADE LIKE THAT.

AND SHE SAW ME, TOOK A REALLY HARD LOOK AT ME, AND THEN SIGNED, "PLEASE FRIEND OPEN HURRY"... AND I WAS STUNNED BY THIS.

BOTH THE SPONTANEITY AND THE CLARITY OF HER SIGNING WAS UNLIKE ANYTHING I'D EVER SEEN.

CARL JUNG MADE A STATEMENT MANY DECADES AGO THAT HUMANITY NEEDED SOME OTHER CREATURE, COMPARABLE IN TERMS OF MENTAL ABILITIES, IN ORDER TO TRULY UNDERSTAND OUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE, AND HE THOUGHT THAT WE'D HAVE TO GO TO OUTER SPACE TO FIND THAT.

WELL, YOU DON'T NEED TO GO TO OUTER SPACE.

THERE ARE THESE ANIMALS RIGHT HERE.

NARRATOR: AFTER A YEAR AT STANFORD, PENNY CLAIMED THAT KOKO'S VOCABULARY HAD MORE THAN DOUBLED TO NEARLY 200 WORDS.

AND NEWS OF "A TALKING GORILLA" WAS SPREADING THROUGH CAMPUS.

MAN: I WAS A STUDENT AT STANFORD, AN UNDERGRADUATE, AND A FRIEND OF MINE SAID, "THIS WOMAN IS DOING THIS AMAZING THING TEACHING SIGN LANGUAGE TO A GORILLA," AND I WAS LIKE, "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING."

GOING BACK AS FAR AS YOU CAN THINK, PEOPLE HAVE TRIED TO KNOW WHAT'S THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF AN ANIMAL.

AND SO TO SUDDENLY SAY HERE IS A PROJECT THAT'S ACTUALLY OPERATING WITHIN THAT REALM IS FUNDAMENTALLY FASCINATING.

SO I MET PENNY AND KOKO, THEN I INVITED THEM TO COME UP TO THIS RANCH HERE WHERE WE ARE NOW.

SHE LITERALLY FIRST EXPERIENCED THAT LEVEL OF FREEDOM, WHICH IS TO SAY RUNNING AROUND IN A VERY OPEN WILD PLACE, UNCONNECTED BY LEAD OR CHAIN OR ANYTHING ELSE, JUST NO--NOTHING ON HER.

EUGENE: THERE WAS SOMETHING BEYOND THE FACT THAT THIS WAS A LANGUAGE EXPERIMENT AND IT WAS OBVIOUS EVEN THEN.

IT SEEMED LIKE, YOU KNOW, PENNY WAS IN LOVE WITH KOKO AND, IN THE WAY IN WHICH A MOTHER MIGHT BE IN LOVE A DAUGHTER...EXCEPT, YOU KNOW, YOUR DAUGHTER HAS THE STRENGTH OF 10 MEN.

WOMAN: SO HERE'S KOKO'S MORNING UPDATE FROM ANNE.

SHE'S HAVING A GOOD MORNING.

SHE WOKE UP AT 9 A.M. SHE WAS ALREADY MOVING... NARRATOR: NOW WHEN THEY AREN'T TOGETHER, PENNY RECEIVES REGULAR UPDATES ON KOKO FROM HER CAREGIVERS.

SOPHIA WAS SUCCESSFUL WITH BREAKFAST.

SHE TOOK 26 OUNCES OF FLUID AND SHE'S IN A GOOD MOOD AND ASKING FOR VISITORS.

LOTS OF VISITORS.

THEY SAID, "DO YOU WANT A BOY OR A GIRL?"

AND SO KOKO'S KIND OF "BOY BOY BOY BOY BOY?"

A-HA.

SHE IS DISSATISFIED WITH THE VISITORS THEY ARE PROVIDING AND KEEPS ASKING FOR ADDITIONAL VISITORS.

PENNY: BETTER VISITORS-- YES.

[LAUGHS] WOMAN, VOICE-OVER: SHE'S A MOTHER IN EVERY FORM OF THE WORD.

I MEAN, THAT IS HER GIRL AND SHE'S GONNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING THAT SHE CAN POSSIBLY DO FOR HER IS DONE.

FIGURE OUT WHERE KOKO IS.

OH, THERE SHE IS.

LISA, VOICE-OVER: WE HAVE A 24-HOUR CAMERA ON KOKO.

PENNY USES THAT WHENEVER SHE IS NOT AT THE RESEARCH OFFICE.

SHE'S BASICALLY ALWAYS MONITORING AND CHECKING IN ON KOKO.

WHEN I FIRST STARTING WORKING HERE, THAT WAS WHAT HIT ME THE HARDEST IS WHEN I'M WITH PENNY HERE, WORKING HERE, THAT'S PENNY'S WORK TIME, AND WHEN SHE HITS THE RESEARCH OFFICE AND GOES IN WITH KOKO, THAT'S HER FAMILY TIME, THAT'S HER DOWNTIME.

THAT'S NOT WORK ANYMORE, THAT'S HANGING OUT WITH HER DAUGHTER, HANGING OUT WITH RON, THAT'S THE UNIT.

OH, YOU FIGURING OUT--SOMETHING-- HEY, CAN YOU DO SOMETHING NEW?

NARRATOR: RON STILL FILMS WHENEVER PENNY IS IN WITH KOKO.

A-HA--THAT'S NEW.

IT'S A TICKLE STICK.

GOOD.

LISA: THEY BECAME A FAMILY.

I MEAN, KOKO, RON, AND PENNY ARE IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD A FAMILY.

WHY, THANK YA, DARLIN'!

THIS IS GOOD.

LISA: KOKO RELIED ON THEM AS MUCH AS THEY NEEDED HER AND TO BREAK THAT UP WOULD HAVE BEEN DEVASTATING FOR NOT ONLY PENNY BUT FOR KOKO.

NARRATOR: PENNY'S PROJECT HAD BECOME SOMETHING FAR MORE THAN A PH.D., BUT ULTIMATELY KOKO STILL BELONGED TO THE SAN FRANCISCO ZOO.

WOMAN: I GUESS KOKO WAS ON LOAN, YOU KNOW, SHE KNEW IT COULD END AT ANY TIME BUT THE REALITY THAT IT REALLY WOULD END JUST DIDN'T ENTER OUR MINDS UNTIL IT HAPPENED.

NARRATOR: AND 4 YEARS AFTER THE PROJECT BEGAN, THE NEW DIRECTOR OF THE ZOO WAS DEMANDING PENNY GIVE KOKO BACK.

ANNE: THAT'S TYPICAL ZOO MENTALITY IN THOSE DAYS.

THEY HAVE NO CLUE THAT THESE ANIMALS HAD EMOTIONS LIKE THAT-- DEEP EMOTIONS, SO TAKING KOKO AWAY FROM PENNY WAS NOTHING TO THEM.

NARRATOR: GORILLAS LIKE KOKO ARE ENDANGERED IN THE WILD, SO SOME ZOOS COMMIT TO BREEDING THEM IN CAPTIVITY.

AND THAT'S WHAT THEY WANTED, THEY WANTED KOKO BACK TO SEND HER TO, I THINK IT WAS L.A., ON A BREEDING LOAN.

BUT I'M SITTING THERE LOOKING AT THIS PROJECT AT STANFORD GOING, "HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY TREAT KOKO THE SAME WAY "YOU WOULD JUST TREAT ANY GORILLA IN ANY ZOO?

"SHE'S BEEN RAISED BY THIS HUMAN FROM BIRTH "NOT LIKE ANY OTHER GORILLA "AND SHE'S BEEN DOING THIS LANGUAGE PROJECT, "AND YOU'RE GOING TO SUMMARILY JUST SAY, ""THAT PROJECT'S OVER AND SHE'S GOING TO GO TO A ZOO SOMEWHERE "TO GET BRED?"

AND I WAS OUTRAGED.

PENNY: THE MATERNAL INSTINCTS [LAUGHS] KICK IN AND YOU KNOW, NOT ON YOUR LIFE.

WHEN SOMETHING'S IMPORTANT I DO WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE IT HAPPEN AND, AND THIS WAS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN MY LIFE AND STILL IS.

NARRATOR: PENNY STARTED A CAMPAIGN HOPING TO GET ENOUGH SUPPORT FROM THE PUBLIC TO FORCE THE ZOO TO CHANGE THEIR MIND.

DALE: AT THAT TIME, THE ZOO BELONGED TO THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO, SO IF WE COULD GET TO THE RIGHT SORT OF PEOPLE, POLITICALLY, MAYBE WE COULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

AND, IN FACT, THROUGH VARIOUS CONNECTIONS, WE ULTIMATELY DID GET TO THE MAYOR, WHO HAD A LOT OF POWER OVER THE ZOO, AND WE MANAGED TO GET TERMS FOR THE ACQUISITION OF KOKO.

NARRATOR: THE ZOO SET A PRICE TAG OF $12,500 TO BUY KOKO.

BUT THEY WOULD ONLY LET HER GO IF PENNY AND RON COULD FIND A MALE AS A POTENTIAL FUTURE MATE.

RON: AND THAT WAS THEIR ACE IN THE HOLE BECAUSE NOBODY IS ALLOWED TO BRING GORILLAS IN THE COUNTRY.

NO ONE IN THE ZOO COMMUNITY HAS BEEN ABLE TO DO IT.

NARRATOR: THE 1973 ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT SET OUT TO PROTECT ANIMALS IN THEIR NATIVE HABITAT, PREVENTING THE IMPORT AND EXPORT OF ANIMALS SUCH AS GORILLAS.

BUT THOSE IN CAPTIVITY BEFORE 1973 COULD STILL BE MOVED.

AND AN ANIMAL DEALER IN EUROPE WAS OFFERING A GORILLA FOR SALE ON THAT BASIS.

DALE: WE NEVER REALLY KNEW THE ORIGIN OF MICHAEL.

HE MIGHT HAVE IN FACT BEEN CAPTURED IN THE WILD.

MAYBE HIS PARENTS WERE KILLED, WE DON'T KNOW.

NARRATOR: MICHAEL WAS BOUGHT MAINLY WITH PUBLIC DONATIONS AND SHIPPED FROM VIENNA TO CALIFORNIA TO MEET KOKO.

RON: WE WENT UP TO THE AIRPORT AND MICHAEL, HE JUST JUMPED ON ME, PUT HIS ARMS AROUND ME, AND THEN HE SUNK HIS TEETH INTO MY SHOULDER.

HA HA!

PENNY ON RECORDING: MONDAY, 11:00, WE'RE BRINGING MIKEY IN TO SEE KOKO FOR THE FIRST TIME.

PENNY: WE KNEW THAT KOKO NEEDED A COMPANION.

[PENNY LAUGHS ON RECORDING] PENNY: SHE NEED TO GROW UP GORILLA AS WELL AS IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT WAS MORE COMPLEX.

SO THEY HAD TO WORK THINGS OUT SOCIALLY.

ANNE: MICHAEL HAD KIND OF A HARSH BEGINNING BUT HE WAS ADORABLE.

HE WAS JUST A REALLY, ONE OF THE CUTEST LITTLE GORILLAS I'D EVER SEEN.

NARRATOR: ANNE SOUTHCOMBE WOULD LOOK AFTER MICHAEL AND TEACH HIM SIGN LANGUAGE.

AND WHEN HE WAS OLD ENOUGH, THEY HOPED HE AND KOKO WOULD MATE.

ANNE: WHEN I FIRST WOULD RIDE ON, ON MY BIKE, I HAD A PLATFORM AND HE WOULD JUST SIT AND HOLD ONTO MY SHOULDERS.

UM, WE GOT ALONG REALLY WELL AND, UM, IT WAS LIKE HAVING MY OWN GORILLA.

NARRATOR: WITH MICHAEL'S ARRIVAL, PENNY HAD FINALLY MET THE CONDITIONS TO BUY KOKO THROUGH HER NEWLY-FORMED GORILLA FOUNDATION.

AND BEFORE SHE'D EVEN FINISHED HER PH.D., SHE'D SUDDENLY COMMITTED TO SOMETHING FAR BIGGER THAN A LANGUAGE EXPERIMENT.

PENNY ON VIDEO: I HAVE TO LAUGH AT MYSELF.

I SAW A FAMILY OF PEOPLE WALKING DOWN THE STREET, 6 OR 7 CHILDREN, AND I THOUGHT, "OH, MY GOD, WHO WOULD EVER WANT TO TIE THEMSELVES DOWN WITH THAT MANY KIDS?"

AND THEN I LAUGHED, BECAUSE A MINUTE LATER, I THOUGHT, "WHAT AM I DOING?

I'VE GOT MYSELF TIED DOWN WITH GORILLAS!"

AND I JUST HAD TO LAUGH BECAUSE IT'S THE SAME THING.

IT MAY EVEN BE MORE OF A, MORE OF A BURDEN, BUT I JUST, I LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT.

IF I HAD A JOB IN A BOOKSTORE, I WOULD BE DOING THIS ON MY WEEKENDS.

PENNY: WHAT ELSE HAVE WE GOT THAT I'M FORGETTING?

OH, SHOOT, YES.

PENNY, VOICE-OVER: IT WAS LIKE RAISING KIDS, UM-- I MEAN, I'D DONE ENOUGH OF THAT WITH MY YOUNGER SIBLINGS.

I SORT OF GREW UP BEING AN ASSISTANT TO MY MOM, LEARNING EVERYTHING ABOUT THE DIAPERS, THE BOTTLES, THE STERILIZATION.

IN THOSE DAYS, EVERYTHING THAT WAS DONE WAS LIKE SECOND NATURE.

I JUST, THERE WERE ENOUGH YOUNGER SIBLINGS AND I DID IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER.

UM, THE YOUNGEST BROTHER, HE WAS JUST A FEW YEARS OLD WHEN MY MOTHER GOT CANCER.

I CAME HOME AND HELPED TAKE CARE OF HER.

SHE PASSED AWAY WHEN I WAS A FRESHMAN IN COLLEGE.

MAN: DID YOU EVER WANT CHILDREN, PENNY?

YOU KNOW, I SORT OF DID, BUT THEN I THOUGHT ABOUT IT.

[LAUGHS] I DON'T THINK I WAS MADE FOR IT.

I THINK I WAS MADE FOR WHAT I'M DOING.

NARRATOR: GORILLAS RELY ON STRONG SOCIAL BONDS, LIVING IN GROUPS OF UP TO 30 IN THE WILD.

BUT BY THE TIME KOKO WAS 7, SHE COULDN'T BE FURTHER FROM HER KIND.

RON: HAVING AN ARTICLE IN "NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC" IN 1978 MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE.

UM, KOKO TOOK THE PICTURE THAT'S ON THE COVER OF THE MAGAZINE.

I THINK SHE REALLY GOT FAMOUS AFTER THAT.

ONCE THE MEDIA ATTENTION OF A SIGNING GORILLA GOT OUT THERE, THAT WAS THE BEGINNINGS OF THIS WHOLE THING EXPLODING.

MITZI: I THINK PEOPLE WERE READY TO BELIEVE THAT ANYTHING WAS POSSIBLE, THAT YOU COULD COMMUNICATE WITH ANIMALS.

NARRATOR: IN 1979, PENNY PUBLISHED HER PH.D. ON "THE LINGUISTIC CAPABILITIES OF A LOWLAND GORILLA"-- NOT ONLY CLAIMING THAT KOKO NOW KNEW OVER 300 WORDS BUT THAT SHE USED THEM TO CONVEY DEEP AND COMPLEX EMOTIONS.

RON: HER ABILITIES TO SIMPLY RECOGNIZE HERSELF IN THE MIRROR, SHE IS ABLE TO POINT TO THAT IMAGE AND SAY, "THAT'S ME," WHICH INDICATES CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE SELF.

SHE HAS THIS SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS LIKE A PERSON DOES.

NARRATOR: MICHAEL WAS ALSO MAKING PROGRESS WITH SIGNING, BUT WHILE THE TALKING GORILLAS WERE EXCITING THE MEDIA, SOME SCIENTISTS WERE LESS CONVINCED.

EUGENE: IF YOU KNOW HER AND KNOW THE CONTEXT, IT'S VERY EASY TO BELIEVE.

PENNY BELIEVES IT AND I THINK THE PUBLIC PROBABLY BELIEVES IT, BUT YOU KNOW, TELL IT TO A BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST AND THEY GET APOPLECTIC.

AND THEY DID [LAUGHS] GET APOPLECTIC.

I BELIEVE THAT PENNY PATTERSON IS A OVER-ZEALOUS MOTHER WHO IS VERY PROUD OF HER SURROGATE CHILDREN, AND TENDS VERY MUCH TO PROJECT MEANINGS ONTO THOSE CHILDREN THAT MAY NOT BE APPARENT TO ANOTHER OBSERVER.

EUGENE: HERB TERRACE BECAME THE VOICE OF THE CRITICS OF THE EXPERIMENTS AND HE HAD EXTRA CREDIBILITY BECAUSE HE HAD DONE ONE.

NARRATOR: PROFESSOR HERBERT TERRACE OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HAD CONDUCTED A SIMILAR LANGUAGE STUDY WITH A CHIMP NAMED NIM.

HERB: DURING THE FIRST 3 YEARS OF THE PROJECT, I WAS CONVINCED THAT NIM USED SIGN LANGUAGE.

IN FACT, I WROTE AN ARTICLE FOR "SCIENCE," IT WAS CALLED "CAN A CHIMPANZEE CREATE A SENTENCE?"

AND THE IMPLICATION WAS YES.

ONE DAY, I VISITED A LABORATORY AND I WAS WATCHING A VIDEOTAPE THAT I HAD SEEN MANY TIMES.

AND THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I SAW HOW THE TEACHER PROMPTED WHATEVER NIM WAS SIGNING.

WHEN I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A SIMPLE EXPLANATION IN NIM SIGNING, NAMELY THAT HE WAS RESPONDING TO PROMPTS, IT WAS IF THIS WHOLE, UM, EMPIRE COLLAPSED AND THAT WAS IT.

THAT'S THE NATURE OF SCIENCE-- YOU CALL IT AS YOU SEE IT.

NARRATOR: HERB WENT ON TO CRITICIZE PROJECT KOKO, ARGUING KOKO WAS JUST IMITATING PENNY TO GET REWARDS.

EUGENE: HE WASN'T AT THE PERIPHERY.

HE WASN'T A YOUNG GRADUATE STUDENT.

HE WAS A WELL-ESTABLISHED SCIENTIST AND SO MANY PEOPLE TOOK THAT AS DEFINITIVE.

FROM THE VERY BEGINNING OF THESE EXPERIMENTS, THERE WAS A-- A YAWNING GAP BETWEEN WHAT YOU COULD SEE WHAT THESE ANIMALS WERE DOING AND WHAT YOU MIGHT BELIEVE WITH YOUR ANIMAL, AND WHAT YOU COULD PROVE THESE ANIMALS WERE DOING.

DALE: KOKO'S SITUATION TENDED TO LEAVE THE STRICT SCIENTIFIC PROTOCOLS BEHIND AND JUST WERE: HEY, WE HAVE THIS GORILLA THAT DOES HAVE SIGN LANGUAGE FACILITY, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.

HERB: YOU FORM A VERY CLOSE EMOTIONAL BOND.

THEY LOOK YOU IN THE EYE JUST THE WAY A BABY DOES.

IT'S AS IF YOU'RE READING THEIR SOUL AND YOU'RE ASSUMING THAT THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING JUST AS YOU MIGHT WITH A BABY, BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, APES HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL'S MIND.

EUGENE: THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO SEE ANIMALS AS JUST WIND-UP TOYS, WITHOUT ANY CONSCIOUSNESS, WITHOUT ANY SENSE OF WONDER, ABILITY TO, TO THINK OR TO COMMUNICATE, AND TO ME, THAT'S A VERY BORING WORLD.

HERB: THERE'S NO QUESTION PENNY PATTERSON HAS A VERY POWERFUL RELATIONSHIP WITH KOKO--WHETHER IT'S A KIND THAT'S GONNA PRODUCE LANGUAGE, THAT'S AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT QUESTION.

NARRATOR: AFTER HERB'S FINDINGS, PARTS OF THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY WERE TURNING THEIR BACKS ON APE-LANGUAGE EXPERIMENTS.

AND WITH PENNY'S PH.D. NOW FINISHED, STANFORD WAS UNWILLING TO LET HER REMAIN ON CAMPUS.

THE ERA OF THE APE-LANGUAGE EXPERIMENTS APPEARED TO BE COMING TO AN END.

EUGENE: I THINK IT JUST BECAME HARDER FOR PEOPLE TO GET FUNDING TO DO THINGS.

YOU'RE COMPETING FOR SCARCE RESOURCES.

IT'S NOT GONNA MAKE IT EASIER IF ONE OF THE EMINENCES OF THE FIELDS BASICALLY SAYS THIS IS NONSENSE, THIS IS NONSENSE, AND NOT WORTH PURSUING.

SO BASICALLY, YOU HAD TWO TYPES OF SCIENTIST.

THERE WERE THOSE WHO WOULD ESSENTIALLY ABANDON THEIR APES TO MAINTAIN THEIR TIES TO THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY AND THERE WERE THOSE WHO ABANDONED THEIR TIES TO THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY TO MAINTAIN THEIR TIES TO THE APES.

AND PENNY FALLS INTO THAT LATTER GROUP.

NARRATOR: PENNY MOVED HER GORILLAS TO A NEW HOME IN WOODSIDE WHERE SHE HAS CARRIED ON WITH PROJECT KOKO EVER SINCE-- CONVINCED THERE IS MORE TO AN APE'S MIND THAN HERB TERRACE CLAIMED.

PENNY: I DID ACTUALLY LOOK AT THE NIM ORIGINAL TAPES.

HE WAS SIGNING, BUT THERE WASN'T ONE FIGURE FOR NIM.

THERE WERE 25, MAYBE, THAT CAME AND WENT.

IT'S SO DIFFICULT BECAUSE IT'S BASED ON RELATIONSHIPS.

IT'S NOT JUST BASED ON, YOU KNOW, OPEN THE CAGE, NEW PERSON, FEED, ASK QUESTION.

IT'S...THEY WANT TO TALK WITH SOMEONE THEY LIKE.

NARRATOR: PENNY AND HER TEAM CONTINUE TO TAKE NOTES ON ALMOST OF ALL OF KOKO'S SIGNING.

AND, AS ALWAYS, RON FILMS FOR THEIR RECORD.

RON: IT'S A COMMITMENT--BECAUSE THEY ARE LIKE REAL PEOPLE AND SHE'S DEPENDENT ON PEOPLE FOR EVERYTHING.

KOKO WAS LIKE A CHILD, AND SHE'S STILL LIKE A CHILD, A CHILD THAT YOU HAVE TO KEEP ALL THE TIME-- YOU--NEVER LEAVES HOME.

PENNY: I GO--GO GET THE FOOD READY AND RON SIT RIGHT HERE WITH YOU.

NARRATOR: SINCE THE 1980S, THERE HAVE BEEN BARELY ANY NEW ATTEMPTS TO TEACH AN APE TO SIGN.

A FEW OF THE EARLY EXPERIMENTS CONTINUED, BUT NOW THE FIELD OF ANIMAL COMMUNICATION HAS MOVED ON TO HOW THEY COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER RATHER THAN WITH HUMANS.

BUT RECENT RESEARCH HAS SUGGESTED SIGNING ISN'T UNIQUE TO KOKO.

GORILLAS NATURALLY USE THEIR OWN SET OF PHYSICAL GESTURES TO COMMUNICATE WITHIN THEIR GROUPS.

PENNY: REFRESHMENTS!

ONE FOR EACH GORILLA.

ONE FOR MIKEY--CAN YOU SAY "DRINK," MIKEY?

YOU CAN SAY "CANDY."

GOOD.

I CAN HELP YOU WITH "DRINK," OK. NARRATOR: BY THE TIME PENNY AND HER GORILLAS HAD SETTLED IN WOODSIDE, KOKO REACHED BREEDING AGE, BUT MICHAEL WAS YOUNGER... PENNY: MICHAEL, YOU JUST ARE BEING A BIT OBNOXIOUS.

NARRATOR: AND NOT YET MATURE ENOUGH TO MATE.

PENNY: KOKO, CALM DOWN.

THAT'S ENOUGH.

PENNY: KOKO WAS ALWAYS WANTING TO BE MATERNAL-- EVEN AT A YOUNG AGE.

WE STARTED BY ASKING HER WHAT SHE WANTED FOR HER BIRTHDAY A WHILE BACK AND SHE WAS ALWAYS "BABY."

SHE WANTED A REAL BABY, BASICALLY.

SOMEONE ELSE TO LOVE AND TAKE CARE OF.

NARRATOR: GORILLA MOMS NURSE THEIR YOUNG FOR THE FIRST FEW YEARS OF LIFE, AND WITHOUT YOUNG OF HER OWN, KOKO HAS ALWAYS BEEN GIVEN DOLLS AND TOYS TO PLAY WITH AND NURTURE.

PENNY: OK, COME ON OUT, KIDS.

OH, YOU ARE A SWEETHEART.

YOU ARE A SWEETHEART.

PENNY, VOICE-OVER: ONE OF OUR VOLUNTEERS HAD DISCOVERED A LITTER OF KITTENS.

BABY--THIS BABY... WITH THE BLANKET.

LET'S PUT THEM ALL ON YOUR LAP.

PENNY, VOICE-OVER: SHE WAS ABLE TO JUST BRING THEM TO WORK AND KOKO POINTED TO ONE AND THEN SHE CONTINUED TO SELECT THAT ONE.

MITZI: YOU CAN DO ALL THE SCIENTIFIC STUDIES IN THE WORLD AND IT DOESN'T REACH THE MASSES AND THE PUBLIC PROBABLY DOESN'T REALLY CARE IF, WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU DID A DOUBLE BLIND STUDY?

THEY DO CARE TO SEE A GORILLA GENTLY HOLDING A KITTEN.

PENNY: HIS FULL NAME WAS ALL-BALL, AND WE CALLED HIM BALL--UM, BECAUSE HE LOOKED LIKE ONE.

SO SHE ADOPTED HIM AND HE WAS JUST CRAZY ABOUT HER.

I THINK THE NOTION THAT THIS IMMENSELY POWERFUL ANIMAL WOULD BE TENDER TOWARDS THIS VERY SMALL AND HELPLESS LITTLE CREATURE SORT OF CAPTURES PEOPLE'S IMAGINATION.

PENNY: AROUND 6 MONTHS, UNBEKNOWNST TO US, HE STARTED LEAVING THE PROPERTY... AND HE WAS HIT BY A CAR ON THE ROAD.

KOKO WAS DEVASTATED.

WHEN SHE WAS ASKED, "WHERE DO YOU GO WHEN YOU DIE?"

SHE SIGNED "COMFORTABLE HOLE, GOOD-BYE," AND PENNY TOOK THAT AS MEANING THAT SHE UNDERSTOOD.

WHAT HAPPENED TO BALL?

KOKO HAVE SORRY HAVE KOKO LOVE.

UNATTENTION VISIT.

HE DOESN'T VISIT YOU ANY MORE?

NARRATOR: PENNY'S REPORTS OF KOKO'S GRIEF AND SEARCH FOR A NEW KITTEN MADE NEWS AROUND THE WORLD.

YOU TELL ME WHAT KIND OF KITTY YOU WOULD LIKE IF YOU GET ANOTHER ONE.

MAN, VOICE-OVER: IT LOOKS UNBELIEVABLE BUT KOKO THE GORILLA INDICATED SEVERAL WEEKS AGO SHE WAS READY FOR A NEW FRIEND.

OK, SHE'S POINTING TO THIS ONE.

CAT, GORILLA, HAVE, VISIT, KOKO LOVE.

GOOD.

SHE'D LIKE TO HAVE ANOTHER CAT VISIT.

DO, VISIT, DO.

OK, WE WILL.

EUGENE: THE WORLD HAS MOVED TOWARDS PENNY'S POINT OF VIEW EVEN IF SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY DOESN'T WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE PENNY'S POINT OF VIEW.

PUBLIC OPINION IS REALLY MUCH MORE OPEN TO ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE THAN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY.

WOMAN, VOICE-OVER: A 15-STONE FEMALE GORILLA CALLED KOKO WAS GIVEN A NEW BABY TODAY, A TINY GINGER KITTEN SHE'D CHOSEN FROM A PICTURE.

PENNY: YOU KNOW, THE MEDIA, IT WAS SATURATED.

AH, IT WAS TURNED INTO A CHILDREN'S BOOK BY SCHOLASTIC.

RON: WHICH WAS USED IN SCHOOLS IN 48 OF 50 STATES, SO EVERY THIRD GRADER WOULD GET TO READ "KOKO'S KITTEN."

THEY LOVED IT.

WE GOT LETTERS AND LETTERS, LIKE YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE.

PENNY: FOR A TIME, THERE WAS A GENERATION, IF YOU WERE TO SAY, "GORILLA FOUNDATION," NEVER HEARD OF IT.

IF YOU WERE TO SAY MY NAME, NEVER HEARD OF IT.

IF YOU WERE TO SAY, "GORILLA AND KITTEN" OR "KOKO AND KITTEN," THEY HAD HEARD OF IT.

THERE!

THERE!

DALE: KOKO NOW WAS A VERY FAMOUS GORILLA.

IT'S NOT LIKE THE DAYS AT STANFORD WHEN SHE COULD WALK AROUND UNRECOGNIZED.

KOKO IS A VERY--SHE'S BEEN ON THE COVER OF "NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC" MAGAZINE TWICE.

WOULD YOU SIGN YOUR NAME?

THAT'S BETTER.

THAT'S MUCH BETTER.

THAT'S VERY GOOD.

NARRATOR: KOKO WAS NOW KNOWN THE WORLD OVER, BUT IN HER LIFETIME, 2/3 OF WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLAS HAD DIED OUT.

OK, NOW, WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO SOME COLORING?

NARRATOR: AND HER FAME WAS TURNING KOKO INTO AN AMBASSADOR FOR THE PLIGHT OF A SPECIES SHE'D BARELY MET.

TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO.

[WOMAN LAUGHS] PENNY: WHERE IS HE?

HE'S INSIDE.

DOES SHE UNDERSTAND WHEN YOU SPEAK?

OH, YEAH.

PENNY, VOICE-OVER: BEING IN THE MEDIA MADE IT MUCH EASIER TO RAISE MONEY TO SUPPORT THE PROJECT.

PENNY: OH, SHE WANTS TO SEE NIPPLES.

PENNY, VOICE-OVER: AND I LEARNED THAT IN ORDER TO KEEP IT GOING TO GROW, YOU NEED TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE MEDIA.

THE HIGH PUBLIC PROFILE HELPED HER GAIN SOME FUNDING, BUT YOU CHOOSE A PATH.

YOU HAVE TO KEEP DOING IT AND YOU HAVE TO KEEP GOING YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR.

NARRATOR: KOKO BECAME THE MOST FAMOUS GORILLA IN THE WORLD.

SHE HAD HER OWN RANGE OF TOYS AND EVEN HER OWN CREDIT CARD, BUT HER LIFE WAS MOVING FURTHER AND FURTHER AWAY FROM THAT OF A GORILLA IN ITS NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.

ANNE: THERE'S A GOOD SIDE AND A BAD SIDE, OBVIOUSLY, TO BRANDING AN ANIMAL--UM-- NOTHING, AGAIN, NOTHING'S BLACK AND WHITE.

I THINK THE GOOD SIDE IS SHE'S RAISED A LOT OF AWARENESS FOR GORILLAS.

PEOPLE MIGHT NOT CARE ABOUT GORILLAS IF IT WASN'T FOR WHAT THEY'VE LEARNED THROUGH KOKO.

BUT KOKO REALLY WAS BORN IN CAPTIVITY, SO SHE HAS NEVER SEEN A GORILLA GROUP AND GORILLAS THAT HAD TO SURVIVE AS GORILLAS--SO.

[GORILLAS VOCALIZING] THE THING SHE'S MISSING IS JUST BEING A GORILLA.

PENNY: WE WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO KOKO HAVING A FAMILY OF HER OWN.

BABY.

NARRATOR: GORILLAS IN THE WILD USUALLY BEGIN TO REPRODUCE AROUND THE AGE OF 10 AND EVERY 4 YEARS AFTER THAT.

BUT BY THE TIME KOKO WAS 20, SHE STILL HAD NOT MATED WITH MICHAEL, HER CHILDHOOD COMPANION.

PENNY: ONE OF US ASKED HER, "WHY DON'T YOU WANT TO MATE WITH MICHAEL?"

AND THE FACT IS THAT SHE CONSIDERED MICHAEL A BROTHER AND GORILLA FEMALES DO HAVE AN INCEST TABOO.

NARRATOR: PENNY MADE IT HER MISSION TO TRY TO FIND A NEW MATE FOR KOKO... WE'RE GOING TO PUT ON A VIDEOTAPE.

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO DO THAT?

YOU GOT IT OUT OF THE CASE.

GOOD.

NOW WHERE DO WE PUT IT?

NARRATOR: EVEN SHOWING HER VIDEOS OF POTENTIAL SUITORS FROM ZOOS AROUND THE WORLD.

GORILLA.

[KISS] YOU KISS HIM.

PENNY, VOICE-OVER: I WENT TO ZOO MEETINGS AND I MADE A PLEA, AND THEY JUST KIND OF LAUGHED ME OFF THE STAGE.

BUT ONE OF THEM TOOK PITY ON ME AND SAID, "WELL, I HAVE A MALE GORILLA."

NARRATOR: THE CINCINNATI ZOO AGREED TO LEND THE GORILLA FOUNDATION A MALE NAMED NDUME... AND HE WAS FLOWN TO CALIFORNIA WITH THE HOPE HE WOULD DAY MATE WITH KOKO.

MAN, VOICE-OVER: AND FINALLY TO AMERICA, WHERE IT'S CLAIMED A FAMOUS GORILLA CALLED KOKO HAS FOUND A NEW MATE THROUGH VIDEO DATING.

PENNY: OK.

HERE IT COMES.

YOU CAN GO IN, KOKO.

DALE: JUST HAVING KOKO RAISED BY A HUMAN FROM BIRTH AND THEN A GORILLA BROUGHT IN FROM WHEREVER DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY MEAN YOU'RE GONNA GET A BABY.

RON: SHE KNOWS SHE'S A GORILLA AND SHE DOES LIKE NDUME, BUT, UM, SHE LIKES PEOPLE, TOO, SO SHE'S, LIKE, IN BOTH WORLDS.

NARRATOR: KOKO AND NDUME HAVE NEVER PRODUCED OFFSPRING.

BUT PENNY STILL HASN'T GIVEN UP HOPE THAT KOKO CAN HAVE A FAMILY WITH HIM.

PENNY: RON SUGGESTED I DRAW SOME PICTURES FOR THESE OPTIONS.

BABY.

WAIT, WAIT, WAIT.

BABY FOR KOKO OPTION.

PENNY, VOICE-OVER: THAT'S STILL HER BIGGEST WISH.

WHAT'S YOUR BEST WAY TO HAVE BABY-- A BABY FOR KOKO-- WHAT'S THE BEST WAY?

WHAT, A SINGLE BABY?

TWO FEMALES JOINING?

A MALE AND TWO FEMALES JOINING-- OR A GROUP OF BABIES JOINING?

BABY AND FEMALES KOKO LOVES--GOOD.

PENNY, VOICE-OVER: THAT WOULD GIVE HER A FOCUS.

UM, SHE'D BE A LOVELY MOTHER.

NARRATOR: NDUME IS STILL AT THE GORILLA FOUNDATION, BUT MICHAEL HAS PASSED AWAY.

YEAH.

YOU'RE A SWEET GIRL.

NARRATOR: AND THESE DAYS, WHEN PENNY ISN'T THERE, KOKO ALWAYS HAS A CAREGIVER WITH HER DURING THE DAY.

MAN: IS THERE ANYTHING YOU REGRET, PENNY?

GIVING KOKO A BABY.

HA HA!

YOU KNOW, PROVIDING A FAMILY.

UM--I THINK THAT'S HER REGRET.

YEAH.

SHE WANTS TO BE A MOM.

RON AND PENNY: ♪ HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU♪ ♪ HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR KOKO...♪ ♪ HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU♪ MAN, VOICE-OVER: YOU'RE VERY, YOU FEEL VERY CONSCIOUS THAT THIS WASN'T KOKO'S CHOICE.

PENNY, VOICE-OVER: OH, YEAH, IT WASN'T.

IT WAS MINE.

IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY THAT WAS JUST AMAZING, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'S, YOU KNOW, THE BEST THING FOR HER.

YOU KNOW, SHE'D BE MORE FULFILLED IF WE HAD BEEN SUCCESSFUL BUILDING A FAMILY GROUP HERE.

YAY!

RON: YEAH.

YEAH.

NARRATOR: IT MAY NEVER BE POSSIBLE TO ESTABLISH WITH CERTAINTY JUST HOW MUCH KOKO CAN COMMUNICATE WITH HUMANS, BUT HER LIFE CONTINUES TO CHALLENGE WHAT IT IS THAT MAKES HUMANS DISTINCT FROM OTHER ANIMALS.

EUGENE: IS IT FAIR FOR KOKO TO BE SOMEWHAT ISOLATED FROM OTHER APES?

I THINK THAT SHIP SAILED SO MANY YEARS AGO THAT YOU CAN'T GO BACK.

I THINK WE'RE LIVING IN A DIFFERENT WORLD THAN THE WORLD THAT PREVAILED AT THE POINT AT WHICH THESE EXPERIMENTS GOT GOING.

IT WAS A WORLD WHERE REALLY ANIMALS DID NOT GET THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT IN TERMS OF ACKNOWLEDGING THAT MAYBE THEY MIGHT HAVE HIGHER MENTAL ABILITIES, AND THEN THINK OF WHERE WE ARE TODAY-- IT'S AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT WORLD.

NARRATOR: OVER 40 YEARS AFTER PROJECT KOKO BEGAN, THE STATUS OF APES IS NOW EVEN BEING CHALLENGED IN THE COURTS, WITH CAMPAIGN GROUPS ARGUING THAT SOME APES SHOULD BE GIVEN RIGHTS OF THEIR OWN.

WOMAN, VOICE-OVER: THE CASE WAS IN FRONT OF A NEW YORK STATE COURT THIS WEEK.

AT THE CENTER OF IT IS A CHIMPANZEE AND THE KEY QUESTION IS WHETHER A CHIMP IS A PERSON.

NOW, THIS CASE ONLY INVOLVES ONE CHIMP.

THE LEGAL PRECEDENT SET COULD MEAN PLANET OF THE APES, CATS, DOGS, GIRAFFES, PANDAS, AND ANY ANIMAL THAT CAN MAKE A LEGAL ARGUMENT THAT IT'S BEING ILLEGALLY IMPRISONED.

NARRATOR: OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR CLOSEST RELATIVE HAS COME A LONG WAY SINCE PENNY MET KOKO.

EUGENE: I THINK PROJECT KOKO SHOWS, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE SENSITIVE ANIMALS-- THEY'RE HIGHLY INTELLIGENT ANIMALS AND YOU CAN'T JUST DUMP THEM IN A CAGE AND LEAVE THEM THERE.

GORILLA!

ANNE: WE EVOLVE AS A SPECIES AND WE DO GET MORE COMPASSIONATE.

AND WE ARE BECOMING MORE COMPASSIONATE.

ANYTHING THAT OPENS THE EYES OF HUMANS THAT THESE ANIMALS FEEL AND THINK AND LOVE LIFE IS A PLUS, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE US A MORE COMPASSIONATE SPECIES.

REMEMBER THAT OLD CAR--OH, MY GOD!

OH, MY GOD, IT'S DISGUSTING.

ANNE: I WOULDN'T WANT EVERY GORILLA TO BE A SIGNING HUMAN GORILLA, BUT BOY, I'M GLAD SHE'S HERE, AND THE DEDICATION PENNY HAS, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN.

WHATEVER IT IS, IT'S NOT A GOOD IDEA.

ANNE: THERE'S SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT GORILLAS BEING GORILLAS...

BUT THERE'S ALSO SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL ABOUT KOKO.

WANT TO CLIMB UP THERE?

PENNY, VOICE-OVER: SHE'S NOT A PET--YOU KNOW, SHE'S AN INDIVIDUAL PERSON WITH HER OWN ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE AND FEELINGS AND ALL THOSE THINGS.

THE STATISTICS OF WHEN SHE LEARNED, WHAT, 100 WORDS TO 1,000 WORDS, NOBODY'S GOING TO REALLY REMEMBER THAT AND IT'S NOT GOING TO CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR.

BUT THE FACT THAT KOKO CAN LOVE, THAT WE CAN LOVE EACH OTHER, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE DIFFERENT SPECIES, REALLY GETS PEOPLE THINKING DEEPLY ABOUT LIFE... AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO.