If We Could Talk to the Animals

"When the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again..." ~ William Beebe

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I have always remembered this quote. It made quite an impression on me, ever since I was a little kid. You can see it engraved on a stone monument at the San Francisco Zoo, on the way to the gorilla habitat.

For some reason, it seems that the years of my childhood (and maybe yours, too) were filled with a lot of awareness about our closest relatives, the chimpanzees and gorillas. I remember watching Jane Goodall quite often on television and years later I had a chance to see Goodall speak at San Jose State. It was a wonderful experience just being in her presence and hearing her stories about the chimpanzees she studied that we all seemed to know so well.

I also remember reading and learning about Dian Fossey and her work with gorillas, especially her beloved Digit. Fossey's brutal murder by the people who were poaching her adopted family of mountain gorillas is something I haven't forgotten either.

But maybe the most influential and exciting person to me was Koko, the gorilla who could talk in American Sign Language, and who had a kitten named All Ball. I think lots of kids have a dream of talking to animals and wishing they could be the next Dr. Dolittle.

So here is an update for those of you with the same fond memories: Koko is alive and well and talking in her private home in Woodside, about 45 minutes south of San Francisco. The Boy was recently contacted to do some work with Koko's organization, The Gorilla Foundation, and it rekindled my memories of Koko and her story.

The Boy did not get to meet Koko or Dr. Patterson on this visit, but he did come home with some amazing videos of Koko and her life as a talking gorilla. There was one excerpt that was especially moving, of her friend Michael, another gorilla who learned ASL. I cannot embed this video, but I hope you will watch it. If you ever wondered if animals have feelings and memories, this should clear things up for you.

The saddest thing about reaquainting myself with Koko is learning that it is entirely possible that gorillas may be completely extinct in about 10 years. In our lifetimes. Please pass along the word, so that the quote at the beginning of my post doesn't come true for Koko and her kind. For our closest relations in the animal world.

PS. I think Koko's Foundation is looking for a director of fundraising. If you know of any experienced non-profit professionals who are skilled at fundraising and PR, let me know and I'll see if we can make a connection.

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One last video. For all of you artists, human and otherwise...