0:00:04 > 0:00:06Hidden in the hills of Northern California
0:00:06 > 0:00:10a few miles south of San Francisco, lies Woodside.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14One of the wealthiest towns in America.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17It is home to a host of celebrities.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Including a western lowland gorilla called Koko...
0:00:25 > 0:00:29..whose life challenges everything we think makes us unique.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Over 40 years ago, Penny Patterson set out to discover
0:00:38 > 0:00:41if humans and gorillas could ever communicate.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46Everyone, when they're a child, has that Dr Doolittle moment
0:00:46 > 0:00:49where they think, you know, "If only we could talk to animals."
0:00:51 > 0:00:54And here was a chance.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57What began as a PhD to teach sign language to Koko
0:00:57 > 0:01:00turned into a lifelong relationship.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02It seemed like Penny was in love with Koko
0:01:02 > 0:01:06in the way in which a mother might be in love with a daughter.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09News about Koko made headlines across the world.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11'Koko was a particularly intelligent gorilla...'
0:01:11 > 0:01:15'Koko is the subject of the longest ongoing ape language...'
0:01:15 > 0:01:19But throughout their time together, Penny has had to fight to keep Koko.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23The reality that it really would end just didn't enter our minds.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Now, nearly half a century after the project began,
0:01:26 > 0:01:31the line between humans and apes is being redrawn.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34A court in Argentina has ruled that an orang-utan can be granted
0:01:34 > 0:01:37some of the legal rights enjoyed by humans.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41What entitles humans to rights that other species
0:01:41 > 0:01:43and animals aren't entitled to?
0:01:44 > 0:01:49With thousands of hours of footage collected over 44 years,
0:01:49 > 0:01:53does Project Koko finally prove that animals can communicate with humans?
0:01:55 > 0:01:58And even share their deep thoughts and feelings with us?
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Maybe these animals are thinking.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06There's a lot more going on in their heads than maybe we thought.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Or are there some things that will always separate us
0:02:09 > 0:02:11from our closest relatives?
0:02:16 > 0:02:18How human can a gorilla be?
0:02:21 > 0:02:23What can her brain do like a human can do?
0:02:31 > 0:02:34HEAVY RUMBLE OF KOKO BREATHING
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Now that you have your things with you,
0:02:44 > 0:02:46how are your emotions right now?
0:02:48 > 0:02:49Koko has emotions!
0:02:51 > 0:02:55Koko spends almost every day with Penny
0:02:55 > 0:02:58and Ron Cohn, who has filmed ever since Project Koko began.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02Five, six, seven... Good!
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Penny claims that Koko can use over 1,000 words
0:03:05 > 0:03:07of American Sign Language
0:03:07 > 0:03:10and videos of her online regularly get millions of hits.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12'Coco understands spoken English
0:03:12 > 0:03:15'and uses of 1,000 signs to share her feelings and thoughts.'
0:03:15 > 0:03:20'A giant gorilla with a tiny, tiny, tiny helpless kitten.'
0:03:21 > 0:03:24It's rare for anyone other than Penny
0:03:24 > 0:03:26and Ron to get close to Koko herself.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31But now the BBC has been given unprecedented access
0:03:31 > 0:03:33to film Koko for a month...
0:03:35 > 0:03:39..and open up the archive of her life to see for ourselves how much
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Koko can really communicate
0:03:41 > 0:03:45and what daily life is like for the world's most famous gorilla.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Drinks and things. Yeah, yeah.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Penny, what are you planning to do?
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Oh, Koko's birthday. Yeah.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03This is a big deal. Koko was born on the fourth of July.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08So, we're just lining up presents and...
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Um, so, did you get the ones in here?
0:04:13 > 0:04:15Coco will soon turn 44.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20- And this is a T-shirt of love? - Well, yeah...
0:04:20 > 0:04:23'Although gorillas in the wild rarely reach this age,'
0:04:23 > 0:04:27captive females can live into their 50s.
0:04:27 > 0:04:28But unlike other gorillas,
0:04:28 > 0:04:33Koko's birthdays are celebrated with cakes, parties and presents.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37It's a life no-one could have predicted when it all began.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Blow it out. Good girl!
0:04:46 > 0:04:47KITTEN MEWS
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Koko was born to her mother Jacqueline in 1971
0:05:14 > 0:05:16in San Francisco Zoo.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21'She's accepted the child and she's proceeding to raise it.'
0:05:22 > 0:05:26The gorilla population is declining and I think we are, sort of,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28becoming a Noah's Ark.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36When Koko was born, Penny and Ron were both students nearby
0:05:36 > 0:05:38at Stanford University.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42'I was a graduate student...'
0:05:45 > 0:05:50..and we met at one of Penny's friend's parties, or something.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52And I got her phone number.
0:05:53 > 0:05:59She was definitely the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02I'm sure you won't put that in! But she was.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Penny was a 24-year-old psychology student at Stanford,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09when the field of animal communication
0:06:09 > 0:06:12was going through a revolution.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Do this, Viki. HE BLOWS RASPBERRY
0:06:14 > 0:06:15CHIMPANZEE BLOWS RASPBERRY
0:06:16 > 0:06:20Another sound resembles the letter K.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Viki, sit up, girl. Come on.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Earlier attempts had tried to teach spoken language, for instance.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29They don't have... They can't generate the sounds.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33They don't have control of the lips and tongue the way we do.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37And somebody had the wit to teach sign language, you know,
0:06:37 > 0:06:39to his chimp, Washoe.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45In the '60s, Washoe was raised like a child by husband and wife
0:06:45 > 0:06:47Allen and Beatrix Gardner.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53They claimed she could use 350 signs to communicate.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01I had attended a lecture by the Gardners at Stanford
0:07:01 > 0:07:04and was really interested in that research.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09I just felt, this is it, this is what I need to do.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16For her PhD, Penny had been visiting San Francisco Zoo
0:07:16 > 0:07:19searching for an ape she could teach to sign.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25We met with the director and asked if we could work with the gorillas.
0:07:27 > 0:07:33We went to see the family - the zoo family - and Koko was in Mom's arms
0:07:33 > 0:07:37and she had a sibling who was kind of running around.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Penny asked to work with Koko,
0:07:40 > 0:07:42but because gorillas in the wild cling to their mothers
0:07:42 > 0:07:44for the first few months of life,
0:07:44 > 0:07:46the zoo didn't think it would be fair
0:07:46 > 0:07:48to take Koko away from her family.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56But when she was just six months old, they were left with no choice.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04She was rescued one day from death
0:08:04 > 0:08:07and taken to the medical centre for treatment.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12She had been strapped down so that they could keep an IV in place
0:08:12 > 0:08:14and, basically, save her life.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20She contracted shigella, which is a serious intestinal parasite.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26The brother to Koko died from it.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30Koko was in intensive care and she got through it.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36The zoo couldn't return Koko to her mother,
0:08:36 > 0:08:39as they feared the group would treat her as an outsider.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43So, she was hand-reared for the next six months in the zoo's nursery.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49When I came back to the zoo, the keeper recognised me
0:08:49 > 0:08:51and said, "Do you want to see Koko?"
0:08:51 > 0:08:54And I said, "Of course I do."
0:08:54 > 0:08:56And he said, "She's in the children's zoo"
0:08:56 > 0:08:57and he took me to see her.
0:09:03 > 0:09:08That day, that first day, that we actually got to see her,
0:09:08 > 0:09:11she was kind of feisty.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15She ran around and gave me a nip on the ankle.
0:09:18 > 0:09:23I think, within a few days, Penny started working with Koko
0:09:23 > 0:09:25in the nursery at the zoo.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37As soon as Penny started to teach sign language to Koko,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Ron began to film, to document their progress.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48I decided that it would be good to focus on three signs.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50"Eat", "drink" and "more".
0:09:51 > 0:09:55Those would come up a lot during keeping Koko going during the day.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01Penny began by moulding Koko's hands into different signs,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04hoping she would start to use them independently.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07It happened pretty fast.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11I guess, I was thinking it would take a lot longer, or something.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Early on, Koko picked up around one new sign each month.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20Penny made little Koko work.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22But Koko was pretty smart.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30And soon Penny had noted Koko combining signs to ask for things.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38It was like there really was something miraculous happening.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41Not quite like stepping on the moon for the first time,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44but it was that sort of feeling
0:10:44 > 0:10:47that some sort of bridge had been crossed.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Someone really was communicating with an animal
0:10:51 > 0:10:54and that animal was communicating back.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58I think Koko loved it.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02A person that was there with her for so many hours at a time.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08So, it was a strong bond to begin with
0:11:08 > 0:11:13and, certainly, Koko was very interested in learning language,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15or anything at that time.
0:11:20 > 0:11:26I think spending their time together with Koko being a baby,
0:11:26 > 0:11:29that they bonded the way a mother and a child would bond.
0:11:31 > 0:11:37You just don't expect a gorilla to be that way.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40You know, everybody thinks King Kong -
0:11:40 > 0:11:42big, stupid, dumb-witted
0:11:42 > 0:11:44and big and blustery -
0:11:44 > 0:11:49and she was small and sweet and creative.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57So, it was like raising a kid.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02She still very much needed to be on the mom at that age.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07KOKO GRUNTS
0:12:11 > 0:12:15More than 40 years on, Koko still lives in the same mobile home
0:12:15 > 0:12:17she grew up in at the zoo.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23But as she's grown to nearly 300 pounds,
0:12:23 > 0:12:27the walls have had to be reinforced and a large outside area added.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35So, that's how we're going to handle lunch again today...
0:12:35 > 0:12:39Whereas wild gorillas will spend hours each day foraging and feeding,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42..and then after three it's too late, so then we'll do greens...
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Koko's meals are cooked by a team of carers
0:12:45 > 0:12:47funded through public donations.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51They also give her vitamins, put on her favourite DVDs...
0:12:52 > 0:12:55..and even wrap her birthday presents.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03The idea of being able to communicate in a shared language
0:13:03 > 0:13:07with someone who is not a human -
0:13:07 > 0:13:09you're drawn in by that big idea.
0:13:10 > 0:13:15And then, when you meet them, it becomes apparent to you
0:13:15 > 0:13:19that there is someone inside there that is unique.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26I don't think you can walk away when you realise that.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33Penny now lives just a few miles from Koko,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36so she can spend time with her almost every day.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40At the beginning, before I started,
0:13:40 > 0:13:44I outlined the project and proposed it to the zoo
0:13:44 > 0:13:47and they said, "You're not going to leave after, like, three weeks
0:13:47 > 0:13:49"like everybody else, are you?"
0:13:49 > 0:13:54And I said, "Oh, no. I'll be here at least four years."
0:13:58 > 0:13:59OK.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06While Penny drives in and Ron lives on site,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08it's unusual for anyone other than the two of them
0:14:08 > 0:14:10to go into Koko's enclosure.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14But since the crew had started filming,
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Koko had been keen to meet them.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20OK, you want Johnny to come in?
0:14:23 > 0:14:25OK, you're going to be...
0:14:25 > 0:14:27..good.
0:14:35 > 0:14:36OK.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49If you're an animal person, it's like, "Of course!"
0:14:49 > 0:14:53But if you're not, it's... "Oh, my God!" kind of response.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56"Is this real?"
0:14:56 > 0:14:59Smelling my hand? Where are we going?
0:14:59 > 0:15:03We want him to go into the other room. Go there.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07She takes a lot of care and a lot of time
0:15:07 > 0:15:09and that doesn't change over time.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14So, we spend as much time almost as we ever did.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Let me just hit record quickly. There you go.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31Koko picked up 80 signs in her first two years at the zoo,
0:15:31 > 0:15:33but distractions from the public
0:15:33 > 0:15:36were making it difficult to progress further.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39So, Penny asked if she could take Koko with her
0:15:39 > 0:15:40to Stanford University.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46We got the zoo to loan Koko to us.
0:15:48 > 0:15:54So, in 1974, we moved her down to Stanford.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20Now that Koko was on campus, Penny could dedicate all of her time
0:16:20 > 0:16:22to the project.
0:16:22 > 0:16:27And away from the zoo, Koko's vocabulary increased dramatically.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32People tend to learn language at an exponential rate.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38Hers was slightly different, but she learned fast.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40I mean, she didn't forget things.
0:16:46 > 0:16:52It was amazing, every day or every week some new incredible thing
0:16:52 > 0:16:56would happen, or new words - she picked them up constantly.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08When I first met Koko, I was introduced as a friend.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Which is a sign made like that.
0:17:11 > 0:17:16And she saw me, took a really hard look at me
0:17:16 > 0:17:18and then signed - "please friend open hurry."
0:17:21 > 0:17:24And I was stunned by this.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Both the spontaneity and clarity of her signing
0:17:28 > 0:17:30was unlike anything I'd ever seen.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37After a year at Stanford, Penny claimed that Koko's vocabulary
0:17:37 > 0:17:40had more than doubled to nearly 200 words.
0:17:43 > 0:17:48And news of a talking gorilla was spreading through campus.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51I was a student at Stanford, an undergraduate,
0:17:51 > 0:17:55and a friend of mine said this woman is doing this amazing thing,
0:17:55 > 0:17:57teaching sign language to a gorilla.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00And I was like, "You have got to be kidding?!"
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Going back as far as you can think,
0:18:05 > 0:18:09people have tried to know what's the consciousness of an animal.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14And so, to suddenly say, here is a project that's actually
0:18:14 > 0:18:18operating within that realm is fundamentally fascinating.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23So, I met Penny and Koko.
0:18:25 > 0:18:31Then I invited them to come up to this ranch here where we are now.
0:18:34 > 0:18:39She literally first experienced that level of freedom,
0:18:39 > 0:18:44which is to say running around in a very open, wild place.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48Unconnected by lead, or chain, or anything else, just nothing on her.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57There was something beyond the fact that this was a language experiment
0:18:57 > 0:18:59and it was obvious even then.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07It seemed like, you know, Penny was in love with Koko
0:19:07 > 0:19:11in the way a mother might be in love with her daughter.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Except, you know, your daughter has the strength of ten men.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21So, here's Koko's morning update from Ann.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24She's having a good morning, she woke up at 9am.
0:19:24 > 0:19:25She was already moving...
0:19:25 > 0:19:29Now, even when she isn't with Koko, Penny receives regular updates
0:19:29 > 0:19:32from her team.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34Sophia was successful with breakfast,
0:19:34 > 0:19:38she took 26 ounces a fluid.
0:19:38 > 0:19:44And she's in a good mood and asking for her visitors. Lots of visitors.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48And she's been asking for BBC visitors!
0:19:48 > 0:19:50She said, "Do you want a boy or a girl?"
0:19:50 > 0:19:53- And so, Koko was kind of, "Boy, boy, boy, boy!"- Yes.- A-ha!
0:19:53 > 0:19:56She is dissatisfied with the visitors that they are providing
0:19:56 > 0:20:01- and keeps asking for additional visitors.- Better visitors!- Yes!
0:20:01 > 0:20:02The ones with the accents!
0:20:04 > 0:20:07She's a mother in every form of the word.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12I mean, that is her girl and she's going to make sure
0:20:12 > 0:20:16that everything that she can possibly do for her is done.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Figure out where Koko is.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24- Oh, there she is. - We have a 24-hour camera on Koko.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29Penny uses that whenever she is not at the research office.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33She's, basically, always monitoring and checking in on Koko.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40When I first started working here, that was what hit me
0:20:40 > 0:20:44the hardest, is when I'm with Penny here, working here,
0:20:44 > 0:20:47that's Penny's work time and when she hits the research office
0:20:47 > 0:20:51and goes in with Koko, that's her family time. That's her downtime.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55That's not work any more, that's hanging out with her daughter,
0:20:55 > 0:20:57hanging out with Ron, that's the unit.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05Uh-huh! That's new, it's a tickle stick! Good!
0:21:06 > 0:21:08They became a family.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13I mean, Koko, Ron and Penny are, in every sense of the word, a family.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Thank you, darling. This is good! Thank you.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20You wanted John... To show him. You can have it.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22OK. Yes, it's a great tickle stick.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Koko relied on them as much as they needed her.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34And to break that up would have been devastating for not only Penny,
0:21:34 > 0:21:35but for Koko.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43Penny's project had become something far more than a PhD.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47But, ultimately, Koko still belonged to San Francisco Zoo.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53I guess Koko was on loan. She knew it could end at any time.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58But the reality that it really would end
0:21:58 > 0:22:01just didn't enter our minds until it happened.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06Four years after the project began,
0:22:06 > 0:22:11the new director of the zoo was demanding Penny give Koko back.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15We, of course, in zoos, attempt to treat them as normal animals
0:22:15 > 0:22:19and leave them as wild as they possibly can be
0:22:19 > 0:22:20because that's what I think they should be.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22That's the way they should be left.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25The right thing to do was to take the animal away
0:22:25 > 0:22:28out of that project and put it in a family of gorillas.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32That's typical zoo mentality in those days.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36They had no clue that these animals had emotions like that,
0:22:36 > 0:22:37deep emotions.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41So, taking Koko away from Penny was nothing to them.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48Gorillas like Koko are endangered in the wild,
0:22:48 > 0:22:51so some zoos commit to breeding them in captivity.
0:22:51 > 0:22:56And that's what they wanted. They wanted Koko back to send her to...
0:22:56 > 0:22:58I think it was LA, on a breeding loan.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07But I'm sitting there looking at this project at Stanford going,
0:23:07 > 0:23:13"How can you possibly treat Koko the same way you would just treat
0:23:13 > 0:23:15"any gorilla in any zoo?
0:23:15 > 0:23:18"She's been raised by this human from birth,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20"not like any other gorilla, and she's been doing this
0:23:20 > 0:23:23"language project and you're going to summarily just say,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26"'That project's over,' and she's going to go to
0:23:26 > 0:23:29"a zoo somewhere to get bred?" I was outraged.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34The maternal instincts...
0:23:34 > 0:23:39kick in and, you know, not on your life.
0:23:43 > 0:23:48When something's important, I do what it takes to make it happen.
0:23:48 > 0:23:53And this was probably the most important thing in my life.
0:23:53 > 0:23:54And still is.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Penny started a campaign to keep Koko,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03trying to get enough support to force the zoo to change its mind.
0:24:05 > 0:24:11At that time, the zoo belonged to the city of San Francisco,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14so if we could get to the right sort of people politically,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17maybe we could do something about it.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21And, in fact, through various connections,
0:24:21 > 0:24:25we, ultimately, did get to the mayor, who had a lot of power over
0:24:25 > 0:24:32the zoo, and we managed to get terms for the acquisition of Koko.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39The zoo set a price of 12,500 to buy Koko.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46But, because her species is endangered, it would only let
0:24:46 > 0:24:50her go if Penny and Ron could find a male as a potential future mate.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58And that was their ace in the hole because nobody...
0:24:59 > 0:25:02..is allowed to bring gorillas in the country,
0:25:02 > 0:25:05no-one in the zoo community has been able to do it.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11The 1973 Endangered Species Act set out to protect animals
0:25:11 > 0:25:15in their native habitat, preventing the import
0:25:15 > 0:25:18and export of animals such as gorillas.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22But those in captivity before 1973 could still be moved.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27And an animal dealer in Europe was offering a young gorilla
0:25:27 > 0:25:30for sale on that basis.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33We never really knew the origin of Michael.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37He might have, in fact, been captured in the wild.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40Maybe his parents were killed, we don't know.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Michael was bought mainly with public donations
0:25:43 > 0:25:47and shipped from Vienna to California to meet Koko.
0:25:47 > 0:25:53We went up to the airport and Michael...
0:25:53 > 0:25:55he just jumped on me,
0:25:55 > 0:26:00put his arms around me, and then, he sunk his teeth into my shoulder.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Sunday, 11 o'clock, we are
0:26:03 > 0:26:07bringing Mikey in to see Koko for the first time.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13We knew that Koko needed a companion.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16PENNY LAUGHS
0:26:16 > 0:26:18She had to "grow up gorilla"
0:26:18 > 0:26:21as well as in an environment that was more complex.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26So, they had to work things out socially.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37Michael had kind of a harsh beginning.
0:26:39 > 0:26:40But he was adorable,
0:26:40 > 0:26:45he was just really one of the cutest little gorillas I had ever seen.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Ann Southcombe would look after Michael
0:26:47 > 0:26:49and try to teach him to sign.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53And when he was old enough, they hoped he and Koko would mate.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55I first would ride him on my bike.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59I had a platform and he would just sit and hold on to my shoulders.
0:27:02 > 0:27:07We got along really well and it was like having my own gorilla.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11With the arrival of Michael,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14Penny had finally met the conditions to buy Koko through her newly
0:27:14 > 0:27:16formed Gorilla Foundation and,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19before she had even finished her PhD,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22she had suddenly committed to something far bigger than
0:27:22 > 0:27:24a language experiment.
0:27:24 > 0:27:25I have to laugh at myself.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29I saw a family of people walking down the street,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32six or seven children and I thought, "Oh, my God, who would ever
0:27:32 > 0:27:35"want to tie themselves down with that many kids?"
0:27:35 > 0:27:38And then I laughed, because, a minute later I thought,
0:27:38 > 0:27:42"What am I doing? I've got myself tied down with gorillas!"
0:27:42 > 0:27:45And I just had to laugh because it's the same thing.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49It may even be more of a burden but I just...
0:27:49 > 0:27:51I love every minute of it.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54If I had a job in a bookstore, I would be doing this on my weekends.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58What else have we got that I'm forgetting?
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Oh, shoot, yes.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10It was like raising kids.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15I mean, I'd done enough of that with my younger siblings.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24I sort of grew up being an assistant to my mom, learning everything
0:28:24 > 0:28:28about the diapers, the bottles, the sterilisation in those days.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32Everything that was done was like second nature.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35There were enough younger siblings that I did it
0:28:35 > 0:28:37over and over and over! Erm...
0:28:38 > 0:28:43The youngest brother, he was just a few years old
0:28:43 > 0:28:45when my mother got cancer.
0:28:55 > 0:29:00I came home and, erm, helped take of her.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08She passed away when I was a freshman in college.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17- Do you ever want children, Penny? - You know,
0:29:17 > 0:29:20I sort of did, but then I thought about it.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27I don't think I was made for it.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30I think I was made for what I'm doing.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39Gorillas rely on strong social bonds,
0:29:39 > 0:29:41living in groups of up to 30 in the wild.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46But, by the time Koko was seven, she couldn't be further from her kind.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52Having an article in National Geographic in 1978
0:29:52 > 0:29:55made a big difference.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58Koko took the picture that's on the cover of the magazine.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03I think she really got famous after that.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09Once the media attention of a signing gorilla got out there,
0:30:09 > 0:30:12that was the beginnings of this whole thing exploding.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19In 1979, seven years after the project began, Penny published
0:30:19 > 0:30:24her PhD on the linguistic capabilities of a lowland gorilla,
0:30:24 > 0:30:28not only claiming that Koko knew over 300 signs,
0:30:28 > 0:30:31but that she used them to convey deep and complex emotions.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37Koko has learned to express a number of feeling states.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42I routinely ask her how she's feeling in the morning
0:30:42 > 0:30:44and some days she says, "Happy, fine."
0:30:44 > 0:30:46Other days, "Sad."
0:30:48 > 0:30:52Her abilities to simply recognise herself in the mirror,
0:30:52 > 0:30:55she is able to point to that image and say, "That's me,"
0:30:55 > 0:30:59which indicates consciousness itself.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04She has this self-consciousness like a person does.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11Michael was also making progress with signing.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13But, while Penny's findings were seen as a major breakthrough
0:31:13 > 0:31:17by the media, there were some scientists who were less convinced.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21If you know her and know the context,
0:31:21 > 0:31:25it's very easy to believe. Penny believes it.
0:31:25 > 0:31:30I think the public probably believes it but, you know,
0:31:30 > 0:31:34tell it to a behavioural scientist and they get apoplectic.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37And they did...get apoplectic.
0:31:37 > 0:31:41I believe that Penny Patterson is an overzealous mother
0:31:41 > 0:31:44who is very proud of her surrogate children
0:31:44 > 0:31:49and tends very much to project meanings onto those children
0:31:49 > 0:31:51that may not be apparent to another observer.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00Herb Terrace became the voice of the critics of the experiments.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03And he had extra credibility because he had done one.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08Professor Herbert Terrace of Columbia University had
0:32:08 > 0:32:12conducted a similar language study with a chimp called Nim.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15During the first three years of the project,
0:32:15 > 0:32:18I was convinced that Nim knew sign language.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23In fact, I wrote an article for Science.
0:32:23 > 0:32:27It was called Can A Chimpanzee Create A Sentence?
0:32:27 > 0:32:29And the implication was yes.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35One day, I visited a laboratory and I was watching a videotape
0:32:35 > 0:32:36that I had seen many times.
0:32:39 > 0:32:44And that was the first time I saw how the teacher prompted
0:32:44 > 0:32:46whatever Nim was signing.
0:32:52 > 0:32:56When I noticed that there was a simple explanation to Nim signing,
0:32:56 > 0:32:59namely that he was responding to prompts,
0:32:59 > 0:33:01it was as if this whole...
0:33:03 > 0:33:04..empire collapsed.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07And that was it.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14That's the nature of science. You call it as you see it.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18Herb went on to criticise Project Koko,
0:33:18 > 0:33:23arguing Koko was just imitating Penny to get rewards.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28He wasn't at the periphery,
0:33:28 > 0:33:31he wasn't a young graduate student, he was a well-established
0:33:31 > 0:33:34scientist and so many people took that as definitive.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41From the very beginning of these experiments, there was
0:33:41 > 0:33:44a yawning gap between what you could see what these animals were doing
0:33:44 > 0:33:46and what you might believe...
0:33:46 > 0:33:49And what you could prove these animals were doing.
0:33:54 > 0:33:59Koko's situation tended to leave the strict scientific
0:33:59 > 0:34:05protocols behind and just were, "Hey, we have this gorilla that does
0:34:05 > 0:34:08"have sign language facility, no doubt about it."
0:34:12 > 0:34:14You form a very close emotional bond.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19They look you in the eye just the way a baby does.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24It's as if you're reading their soul and you're assuming that they
0:34:24 > 0:34:29understand what you're saying, just as you might with a baby.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32But the fact of the matter is,
0:34:32 > 0:34:36apes have no idea about another individual's mind.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42There are people who see animals as just wind-up toys -
0:34:42 > 0:34:46without any consciousness, without any sense of wonder,
0:34:46 > 0:34:48ability to think or to communicate.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51And, to me, that's a very boring world.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58There's no question Penny Patterson has a very powerful
0:34:58 > 0:35:00relationship with Koko.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04Whether it's the kind that's going to produce language,
0:35:04 > 0:35:06that's an entirely different question.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12After Herb's findings, parts of the scientific community
0:35:12 > 0:35:16were turning their backs on the ape-language experiments.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21And, with Penny's PhD now finished,
0:35:21 > 0:35:24Stanford were unwilling to let her remain on campus.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30The era of the ape-language experiments appeared to be
0:35:30 > 0:35:31coming to an end.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37I think it just became harder for people to get funding to do things.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39You're competing for scarce resources,
0:35:39 > 0:35:43it's not going to make it easier if one of the eminences
0:35:43 > 0:35:45of the field has basically said this is nonsense.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47Nonsense is not worth pursuing.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53So, basically, you had two types of scientist.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57There were those who would, essentially, abandon their apes
0:35:57 > 0:36:01to maintain their ties to the scientific community...
0:36:01 > 0:36:05and then, there were those who abandoned their ties to
0:36:05 > 0:36:08the scientific community to maintain their ties to the apes.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14And Penny falls into that latter group.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21Penny moved her gorillas to a new home in Woodside,
0:36:21 > 0:36:24where she has carried on with Project Koko ever since,
0:36:24 > 0:36:29convinced there is more to an ape's mind than Herb Terrace claimed.
0:36:29 > 0:36:34I did actually look at the Nim original tapes.
0:36:34 > 0:36:41He WAS signing, but there wasn't one figure for Nim.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45There were 25, maybe, that came and went.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51It's so difficult because it's based on relationships.
0:36:51 > 0:36:55It's not just based on, you know, open the cage, new person,
0:36:55 > 0:37:01feed, ask question - they want to talk with someone they like.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08Since her PhD,
0:37:08 > 0:37:11Penny has only published a small proportion of her data.
0:37:15 > 0:37:21But, even now, she and her team make daily notes on Koko's signing
0:37:21 > 0:37:24and Ron continues to film everything for their record.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29It's a commitment...
0:37:32 > 0:37:34..because they are like real people.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40And she's dependent on people for everything.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47Koko was like a child. She's still like a child.
0:37:47 > 0:37:52A child that you have to keep all the time, she never leaves home.
0:37:54 > 0:38:00Michael, go get the food ready and Ron will sit right here with you.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03Ron, do you ever wonder what life would have been like
0:38:03 > 0:38:07if Penny hadn't met Koko? It could have been so different.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10I guess it would be today. It's hard to know.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13I'm 71 now and that's a long time.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16I started with Koko when I was 27.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24Since the '80s, there have barely been any new attempts
0:38:24 > 0:38:25to teach an ape to sign.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30Some of the early experiments continued.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33But, today, the field of animal communication has moved on
0:38:33 > 0:38:37to how they communicate with each other, rather than with humans.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46But recent studies have suggested that
0:38:46 > 0:38:52although only Koko and Michael use American Sign Language, gorillas use
0:38:52 > 0:38:56more than 100 gestures of their own to communicate within their groups.
0:38:59 > 0:39:04Refreshments. One for each gorilla. One for Mikey.
0:39:04 > 0:39:05Can you say "drink", Mikey?
0:39:07 > 0:39:12You can say "candy". Good. I can help you with drink. OK.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14By the time Penny and her gorillas had settled at Woodside,
0:39:14 > 0:39:16Koko had reached breeding age...
0:39:16 > 0:39:18That was good, but let's leave the glass in one piece.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20..but Michael was younger...
0:39:22 > 0:39:24Michael, you just are being a bit obnoxious!
0:39:24 > 0:39:26..and not yet mature enough to mate.
0:39:29 > 0:39:31Koko, calm down. That's enough.
0:39:37 > 0:39:43Koko was always wanting to be maternal, even at a young age.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54We started by asking her what she wanted for her birthday
0:39:54 > 0:39:56awhile back and she was always, "Baby!"
0:40:00 > 0:40:03She wanted a real baby, basically.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06Someone else to love and take care of.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10Gorillas nurse their young for up to three years and,
0:40:10 > 0:40:14without offspring of her own, Koko has always been given dolls
0:40:14 > 0:40:16and toys to play with and nurture.
0:40:16 > 0:40:17OK, come out, kids!
0:40:20 > 0:40:22You can do all the scientific studies in the world
0:40:22 > 0:40:26and it doesn't reach the masses.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29And the public probably doesn't really care if...
0:40:30 > 0:40:34"When was the last time you did a double-blind study?"
0:40:35 > 0:40:38They DO care to see a gorilla
0:40:38 > 0:40:40gently holding a kitten.
0:40:49 > 0:40:54One of our volunteers had discovered a litter of kittens.
0:40:54 > 0:41:01She was able to just bring them to work and Koko pointed to one,
0:41:01 > 0:41:04and then, she continued to select that one.
0:41:07 > 0:41:12His full name was All Ball. We called him Ball
0:41:12 > 0:41:14because he looked like one.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18So, she adopted him and he was just crazy about her.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24I think the notion that this immensely powerful animal
0:41:24 > 0:41:27would be tender towards this very small
0:41:27 > 0:41:31and helpless little creature sort of captures people's imagination.
0:41:38 > 0:41:42Around six months, unbeknownst to us, he started leaving the property.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46And he was hit by a car on the road.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52Koko was devastated.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58When she was asked, "Where do you go when you die?"
0:41:59 > 0:42:03She signed, "Comfortable hole, goodbye."
0:42:03 > 0:42:07And Penny took that as meaning that she understood.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10What happened to Ball?
0:42:15 > 0:42:17"Koko have sorry, have Koko-love."
0:42:19 > 0:42:22"Unattention visit..." He doesn't visit you any more.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25Penny's reports of Koko's grief
0:42:25 > 0:42:29and search for a new kitten made news around the world.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33You tell me what kind of kitty you would like if you get another one.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36It looks unbelievable but Koko the gorilla indicated,
0:42:36 > 0:42:39several weeks ago, she was ready for a new friend.
0:42:39 > 0:42:40OK, she's pointing to this one.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46"Cat gorilla have visit Koko-love."
0:42:48 > 0:42:53"Good," she'd like to have another cat visit. "DO visit." "Do." OK.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56The world has moved towards Penny's point of view, even if
0:42:56 > 0:42:58the scientific community doesn't want to acknowledge
0:42:58 > 0:43:00Penny's point of view.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04Public opinion is really much more open to animal intelligence
0:43:04 > 0:43:07than the scientific community.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11A 15-stone female gorilla called Koko was given a new baby today,
0:43:11 > 0:43:14a tiny ginger kitten she had chosen from a picture.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18You know, the media, it was saturated.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24It was turned into a children's book.
0:43:24 > 0:43:29Which was used in schools in 48 of the 50 states.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33So, every Third Grader would get to read Koko's Kitten.
0:43:35 > 0:43:39They loved it. We got letters and letters like you wouldn't believe.
0:43:42 > 0:43:46For a time, there was a generation...
0:43:46 > 0:43:49If you were to say Gorilla Foundation, "Never heard of it."
0:43:49 > 0:43:52If you were to say my name, "Never heard of it."
0:43:52 > 0:43:56If you were to say "gorilla and kitten" or "Koko and kitten",
0:43:56 > 0:43:57they had heard of it.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59There, there!
0:44:02 > 0:44:05Koko now was a very famous gorilla.
0:44:05 > 0:44:07It's not like the days at Stanford when
0:44:07 > 0:44:10she could walk around unrecognised. Koko is a very...
0:44:10 > 0:44:15She's been on the cover of National Geographic magazine twice.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17Would you sign your name?
0:44:17 > 0:44:20That's better. That's much better.
0:44:20 > 0:44:22That's very good.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24Koko was now known the world over.
0:44:26 > 0:44:27But, in her lifetime,
0:44:27 > 0:44:31two thirds of Western lowland gorillas had died out.
0:44:31 > 0:44:35OK, now would you like to do some colouring?
0:44:35 > 0:44:38And fame was turning Koko into an ambassador for the plight
0:44:38 > 0:44:41of a species she'd barely met.
0:44:41 > 0:44:43Tell me what you want me to do.
0:44:45 > 0:44:46- Oh. - PENNY LAUGHS
0:44:48 > 0:44:51- Where is he?- He's inside.
0:44:51 > 0:44:53- Does he... Does she understand when you speak?- Oh, yeah.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04'Being in the media made it much easier to raise money to
0:45:04 > 0:45:05'support the project.'
0:45:07 > 0:45:08Oh, she wants to see nipples.
0:45:08 > 0:45:13'And I learned that, in order to keep it going, to grow,
0:45:13 > 0:45:16'you need to continue to work with the media.'
0:45:18 > 0:45:21The high public profile helped her gain some funding.
0:45:23 > 0:45:26But you choose a path, you have to keep doing it.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30And you have to keep going year after year after year.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39Koko became the most famous gorilla in the world.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43She had her own range of toys and even her own credit card.
0:45:45 > 0:45:46But her life was moving further
0:45:46 > 0:45:51and further away from that of a gorilla in its natural environment.
0:45:51 > 0:45:56There's a good side and a bad side, obviously, to branding an animal...
0:45:58 > 0:46:02Nothing... Again, nothing's black and white.
0:46:02 > 0:46:04I think the good side is she has raised
0:46:04 > 0:46:07a lot of awareness for gorillas.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10People might not care about gorillas if it wasn't for what they've
0:46:10 > 0:46:12learned through Koko.
0:46:14 > 0:46:19But Koko really was born in captivity, so she has never seen
0:46:19 > 0:46:24a gorilla group and gorillas that have to survive as gorillas, so...
0:46:24 > 0:46:26GORILLA CHATTERS
0:46:29 > 0:46:32We're going to put the footstool here.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35The thing she's missing is just being a gorilla.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43We were looking forward to Koko having a family of her own.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49Baby.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59You were playing nicely with the baby.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03Wild gorillas usually begin to reproduce around the age of ten
0:47:03 > 0:47:05and every four years after that.
0:47:07 > 0:47:09But, by the time Koko was 20,
0:47:09 > 0:47:13she still had not mated with Michael, her childhood companion.
0:47:14 > 0:47:19One of us asked her, "Why don't you want to mate with Michael?"
0:47:19 > 0:47:24And the fact is that she considered Michael a brother
0:47:24 > 0:47:28and gorilla females do have an incest taboo.
0:47:32 > 0:47:36Penny made it her mission to try to find a new mate for Koko.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39We're going to put on a videotape, do you know how to do that?
0:47:41 > 0:47:44You got it out of the case, good. Now, where do we put it?
0:47:44 > 0:47:48Even showing her videos of potential suitors from zoos around the world.
0:47:48 > 0:47:49It's a gorilla!
0:47:51 > 0:47:53KOKO KISSES THE SCREEN
0:47:53 > 0:47:54You kiss him.
0:47:54 > 0:47:58I went to zoo meetings and I made a plea for a gorilla family
0:47:58 > 0:48:02and they just kind of laughed me off the stage but one of them
0:48:02 > 0:48:06took pity on me and said, "Well, I have a male gorilla."
0:48:13 > 0:48:17Cincinnati Zoo agreed to loan a male called Ndume
0:48:17 > 0:48:18to the Gorilla Foundation.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23And he was flown to California with the hope he would mate with Koko.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27- NEWSREADER: - 'And, finally, to America
0:48:27 > 0:48:28'where it's claimed a famous gorilla
0:48:28 > 0:48:32'called Koko has found a new mate through video dating.'
0:48:34 > 0:48:35OK, here it comes.
0:48:44 > 0:48:45You can go in, Koko.
0:49:02 > 0:49:04CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS
0:49:30 > 0:49:34Just having Koko raised by a human from birth,
0:49:34 > 0:49:37and then a gorilla brought in from wherever...
0:49:39 > 0:49:42..doesn't automatically mean you're going to get a baby.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51I don't know who Koko identifies with.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55I don't know who she daydreams about.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59I would expect that, as a female,
0:49:59 > 0:50:02she'd want to have a baby of some sort.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05But she might be a little confused about with whom.
0:50:17 > 0:50:23She knows she's a gorilla and she does like Ndume.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27But she likes people, too.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31So, she's, like, in both worlds.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38Koko and Ndume have never produced offspring.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41OK, look. This is the one Koko licked.
0:50:41 > 0:50:45But Penny still hasn't given up hope that Koko can have a family
0:50:45 > 0:50:47- with him.- That's the one!
0:50:47 > 0:50:52That's the one. OK, so, Koko wants to have a gorilla family.
0:50:52 > 0:50:56'That's still her biggest wish.'
0:50:56 > 0:51:00And she would like to have a baby to raise. She pointed to that.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02Right here. She pointed to that one.
0:51:04 > 0:51:09That would give her a focus, she'd be a lovely mother.
0:51:15 > 0:51:19Ndume still lives at the Gorilla Foundation,
0:51:19 > 0:51:21but Michael has passed away.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25And now, when Penny isn't there,
0:51:25 > 0:51:28Koko always has a carer with her during the day.
0:51:29 > 0:51:31But who?
0:51:31 > 0:51:34KOKO KISSES
0:51:34 > 0:51:36You'll have a visit soon, yeah.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39But she doesn't often see new people
0:51:39 > 0:51:42and had been asking for a visit from the crew.
0:51:44 > 0:51:46Hi, Koko. How are you?
0:51:46 > 0:51:48KOKO PURRS
0:51:50 > 0:51:51Very happy, huh?
0:51:51 > 0:51:53Oh, are you in a good mood?
0:51:53 > 0:51:54I'll just set up.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00Oh, is my shirt coming down?
0:52:04 > 0:52:08What you doing in there, Koko?
0:52:08 > 0:52:10Are you working me out? SHE PURRS
0:52:14 > 0:52:16Koko, you're tickling him.
0:52:16 > 0:52:20OK. Koko, you don't like people touching you.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22You have to be the same.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26Tickles, tickles and more tickles.
0:52:28 > 0:52:30So, you having a nice day, Koko?
0:52:32 > 0:52:34Is there anything you regret, Penny?
0:52:38 > 0:52:41Giving Koko a baby. You know, providing a family.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47I think that's her regret.
0:52:53 > 0:52:54She wants to be a mom.
0:52:59 > 0:53:03# Happy birthday to you
0:53:03 > 0:53:07# Happy birthday to you
0:53:07 > 0:53:11# Happy birthday, dear Koko
0:53:13 > 0:53:16# Happy birthday to you. #
0:53:19 > 0:53:22You feel very conscious that this wasn't Koko's choice.
0:53:22 > 0:53:26Oh, yeah, it wasn't, it was mine.
0:53:28 > 0:53:34It was an opportunity that, well, was just amazing.
0:53:36 > 0:53:40It doesn't mean that it's, you know, the best thing for her.
0:53:42 > 0:53:44You know, she'd be more fulfilled
0:53:44 > 0:53:48if we had been successful building a family group here.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54- That's it!- Yay!
0:53:59 > 0:54:02It may never be possible to establish with certainty just
0:54:02 > 0:54:06how much Koko can communicate with humans,
0:54:06 > 0:54:10but her life continues to challenge just what it is that makes
0:54:10 > 0:54:13humans distinct from other animals.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16I think we're living in a different world than the world that
0:54:16 > 0:54:19prevailed at the point at which these experiments got going.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22It was a world where, really,
0:54:22 > 0:54:24animals did not get the benefit of the doubt in terms of
0:54:24 > 0:54:28acknowledging that maybe they might have higher mental abilities.
0:54:28 > 0:54:30And then, think of where we are today,
0:54:30 > 0:54:32it's an entirely different world.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34Now, in what's thought to be a legal first,
0:54:34 > 0:54:38a US animal-rights group is calling on a New York court
0:54:38 > 0:54:42to recognise a chimpanzee as a legal person.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44Where the line is drawn between humans
0:54:44 > 0:54:48and other apes has been at the heart of Project Koko since it began.
0:54:48 > 0:54:52A court in Argentina has ruled that an orang-utan can be granted
0:54:52 > 0:54:54some of the legal rights enjoyed by humans.
0:54:54 > 0:54:58And now what separates us from our closest relatives is being
0:54:58 > 0:55:00argued in the courts,
0:55:00 > 0:55:03with some campaigning for apes to be treated as individuals
0:55:03 > 0:55:05with rights of their own.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09There's an ongoing question about whether we should keep
0:55:09 > 0:55:11an intelligent great ape in captivity.
0:55:13 > 0:55:17Is it fair for Koko to be somewhat isolated from other apes?
0:55:18 > 0:55:22I think that ship sailed so many years ago that you can't go back.
0:55:29 > 0:55:31I think Project Koko shows, you know,
0:55:31 > 0:55:34these are sensitive animals, they're highly intelligent animals
0:55:34 > 0:55:39and you can't just dump them in a cage and leave them there.
0:55:39 > 0:55:40Gorilla!
0:55:40 > 0:55:45We evolve as a species and we do get more compassionate
0:55:45 > 0:55:47and we are becoming more compassionate.
0:55:50 > 0:55:53Anything that opens the eyes of humans
0:55:53 > 0:55:59that these animals feel and think and love life is a plus.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02You know, to make us a more compassionate species.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11Remember that old car? Oh, my God.
0:56:11 > 0:56:14Oh, my God, it's disgusting.
0:56:14 > 0:56:19I wouldn't want every gorilla to be a signing human gorilla but,
0:56:19 > 0:56:22boy, I'm glad she's here. And the dedication Penny has,
0:56:22 > 0:56:25it's something that will never happen again.
0:56:25 > 0:56:27Whatever it is, it's not a good idea.
0:56:29 > 0:56:33There's something special about gorillas being gorillas.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37But there's also something very special about Koko.
0:56:44 > 0:56:46- Want to climb up there? - She's not a pet, you know?
0:56:46 > 0:56:50She's an individual person with her own...
0:56:50 > 0:56:53ability to communicate and have feelings and all those things.
0:56:57 > 0:56:58There's mosquitoes in these woods.
0:56:58 > 0:57:00The statistics and when she learned
0:57:00 > 0:57:05100 words to 1,000 words, nobody's going to really remember that
0:57:05 > 0:57:07and it's not going to change their behaviour.
0:57:15 > 0:57:19But the fact that Koko can love, that we can love each other
0:57:19 > 0:57:21even though we're difference species,
0:57:21 > 0:57:28really gets people thinking deeply about life.
0:57:31 > 0:57:33And that's what we need to do.