Koko, the beloved gorilla best known for mastering sign language, died in her sleep at age 46 on Wednesday.
The Gorilla Foundation announced Koko's death via social media on Thursday, saying she "touched the lives of millions as an ambassador for all gorillas and an icon for interspecies communication and empathy."
SEE ALSO:Animals are becoming nocturnal to avoid humans, and that could mean troubleTweet may have been deleted
Koko, whose full name was Hanabi-ko (meaning "Fireworks Child" in Japanese,) was born on July 4, 1971. Over the years the western lowland gorilla learned more than 1,000 different signs, developed a love of cats, worked alongside many humans including sign language instructor Dr. Francine "Penny" Patterson, and inspired several documentaries and the popular children's book, Koko's Kitten.
Her willingness to interact with people and her eagerness to learn allowed the world to observe a great deal about her species, and throughout the course of her life Koko made many celebrity friends, including Mister Rogers and Robin Williams.
After news of Koko's death reached social media, fans showed an outpouring of love for the gorilla, thanking her for all her contributions.
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
The Gorilla Foundation noted in a press release that it will continue to honor "Koko's legacy" and work with wildlife.
TopicsAnimals
(责任编辑：時尚)
U.S. government issues warning on McDonald's recalled wearable devices'Ghost of Tsushima' got me to watch streamers. I finally get the hype.Want 83 years worth of free Netflix? Beat the high score on 'The Old Guard' game.Samsung reveals Galaxy Z Fold2, stresses durability after first Fold disasterThis app is giving streaming TV news a second tryThis chart shows just how high Simone Biles can jump
American gymnast Simone Biles has dominated the Rio Olympics with five medals (four of them gold) bu
...[详细]Malala Yousafzai has a book club and yes, you can join
Malala Yousafzai hasn't had a lot of time to read anything outside her studies of late. But at the m
...[详细]'Time' magazine cover spotlights black people who died because of systemic racism
In the last two weeks, following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died after a
...[详细]Charles Esten talks 'The Office' and what it was like playing Josh Porter
Before Dunder Mifflin's Stamford branch closed down it was run by a seemingly well put together, alb
...[详细]Slack goes down again, prompting anxiety everywhere
Panic briefly took over on Tuesday when everyone's favorite messaging app/millstone went down tempor
...[详细]Smoke from Arctic fires is smothering Siberia right now
The fires burning in Siberia this year continue to be exceptional.First, overwintering zombie fires
...[详细]Watch the SpaceX craft carrying NASA astronauts dock with the ISS
UPDATE: May 31, 2020, 1:38 p.m. EDT: AstronautsDoug Hurley and Bob Behnken successfully opened the C
...[详细]Rakuten has a new, entry-level e-book reader out, and it compares favorably to the cheapest Amazon K
...[详细]Is Samsung's Galaxy Note7 really the best phone?
On this week's
。 MashTalk 。, Lance, Pete and I talk about the new hot smartphone in town: Samsung's Ga
...[详细]Fitbit unveils its refreshed Versa 3 and Inspire 2 fitness trackers
Fitbit hasn't forgotten about the wearables that have paved its way. The company, which just announc
...[详细]Olympic security asks female Iranian fan to drop protest sign
ABC announces Matt James as the first Black 'Bachelor'