Posted on 09/04/2014 8:04:15 AM PDT by dead
Robin Williams could make anyone laugh — even a gorilla. In fact, the actor forged such a bond with one gorilla that she’s said to be mourning the loss of her friend.
Back in 2001, Williams visited the Gorilla Foundation in California and met with Koko, a gorilla who uses American Sign Language to communicate. During their encounter, Williams and Koko laughed, tickled each other and hugged like old friends.
On Monday, Koko overheard Dr. Penny Patterson, her mentor and surrogate mother, talking on the phone about Williams’ death. “She became extremely sad,” Patterson wrote on Koko.org.
Koko's handlers took this photo of the gorilla reacting to the news of Robin Williams' death.
"Koko became very somber, with her head bowed and her lip quivering," they said.
“Robin’s ability to just ‘hang out’ with Koko, a gorilla, and in minutes become one of her closest friends, was extraordinary and unforgettable,” Patterson continued in a tribute post to Williams, who was an ambassador for Great Ape conservation.
The Gorilla Foundation resurfaced this 2001 video of the meeting between Koko and Williams on YouTube.
“I recently had a mind-altering experience communicating with a gorilla,” Williams said in the video. “We shared something extraordinary: Laughter. Koko understands spoken English and uses over 1,000 signs to share her feelings and thoughts about daily events, life, love, even death. It was awesome and unforgettable.”
Koko felt so comfortable with Williams during their 2001 encounter that she pulled his glasses off his face and tried them on. She also picked his pocket, producing his wallet and rifling through it.
Near the end of their meeting, Koko kissed Williams’ hand, then pulled him in for a big hug.
“Notice that Robin made Koko smile — something she hadn’t done for over six months, ever since her childhood gorilla companion, Michael, passed away at the age of 27,” Patterson wrote. “But not only did Robin cheer up Koko, the effect was mutual, and Robin seemed transformed.”
NBC News.
I think koko is just picking up on the handler’s cues...
This was news about a month ago.
These people are in a dreamland.
Pray America wakes up
Gorrila Face Palm In The Mist!!
“But not only did Robin cheer up Koko, the effect was mutual, and Robin seemed transformed.”
Sounds like Robin should have hung out more with Koko and forged a friendship.... Might have done him some good.
A gorilla would make a better friend thasn a Chimpanzee for sure, Chimps are downright dangerous, Gorillas are generally very peaceful unless we are talking about two male gorillas...
Not sure about Orangutans...
I would rather be locked in a room with a Gorilla than locked in a room with a Chimpanzee.... Usually from what I have read if you don’t make yourself a threat to a gorilla they will leave you alone where as a chimp will rip off your face/arm/genitals for no reason at all because they are little psychos.
Monkey see, monkey do.
Shameless donations plug.
It’s gross how everyone used this as a way to mug for the cameras, trying to out cry the next person so they can be part of the story too.
This animal could not have possibly felt any real sadness. There are people that might have worked with Williams multiple times 13 years ago that aren’t news level sad.
The sad thing is that MANY people will believe this article.
Year sure she did.....when gorilla’s fly out of my a$$.
Bull C,maybe you democrats will believe this bull but give me a break.next they will have a book out by the Gorilla called my Friend Robin.
Let him rest in peace he wanted to be dead that is why he killed himself..
[ It sounds to me like the Gorillia was just reacting to the fact that the trainers around her were upset about something and was mimicking their reactions. I seriously doubt she remembered a human she met once a decade before and could grasp the fact that the particular human had died and was feeling sad over it. ]
I disagree, I don’t think the gorilla was “Mimicing” the trainer, I think the Gorilla was “Empathizing” with the trainer. Big difference, Gorillas and the great apes do have near human like emotion, but not intelligence. It is a lot like if a parent is upset even if they try to hjide it from their children the child can pick up emotional cues and will become upset themselves. If the child was merely mimicing the parent they would not get upset..
Dogs can also empathize to a degree, I knew someoen who had a dog (a whip smart one) who normally didn’t like to get up on the couch into someone’s lap, but when their owner was distrauught, even if they were not showing it, the dog would jump into their lap.
So animals may not have a big “Intelligence IQ” but some have a high “Empathy/Emotional IQ”.
You are spot on and if you think this sort of anthropomorphism is bad, you should check out the FR Saddle Club.
I don’t know who to feel sorry for . .
Robin or Gorilla
[ This animal could not have possibly felt any real sadness. There are people that might have worked with Williams multiple times 13 years ago that aren’t news level sad. ]
The Animal probably is feeling that the trainer is sad and is somewhat empathizing with them, nothing more.
Now if the trainer dies or like the article said they lost a fellow gorilla playmate, then it would be genuine sadness.
Which one is Robin Williams? all i see is two very hairy ape like creatures......
Koko grabbed William Shatner’s balls.
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