“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.
I worked in the North Stamford, Ct. area for 10 years and saw Travis the chimp being chauffeured around in his owner’s tow truck a few times. I wasn’t surprised when he escaped and tied up traffic for hours, and I wasn’t surprised several years later when he attacked Charla Nash. Nasty creature.