Journal ofThe Gorilla FoundationFall /Winter 2016 / Vol. 30 koko.org

RESEARCH

DEVELOPMENT

EDUCATION

HIGHLIGHTS

Join our 'APE' (Automatic PledgeEnrollment) Giving Program and supportThe Gorilla Foundation with your monthlygift. Not only will you provide consistent,steady support to Koko and Ndume andtheir daily needs but you'll also play acrucial role in helping spread the wordabout protecting gorillas.

• With a pledge of $10 or more per monthyou will receive a free Koko’s Kitten book signed by Penny Patterson.

• You will no longer receive renewal notices by mail thereby saving trees, postage, and labor.

• Your monthly contribution will be automatically deducted from your account, and your monthly statementwill serve as your record.

• You will be issued a receipt at the endof the year for your total annual contribution.

Enroll today using the enclosedreturn envelope!

A gift through your will or living trust is anexceptionally special way to support the workof The Gorilla Foundation. Whether througha bequest, a gift of real estate, or through aninsurance policy, you can trust that your giftwill assist in securing the long-term futureand protection of gorillas.

Help us leverage the power of Koko as we implement the important initiativesdetailed in this journal. Use the reply envelope found inside this journalto make your tax-deductible gift today. You can also become a monthlyAPE donor, name us in your will or bequest, or join Koko's Silverback Society,as described below.

Givingopportunities

To learn more aboutKoko's Silverback Society,

including our benefits, visit:www.koko.org/kokos-

silverback-society.

Going A.P.E.Going A.P.E. A Lasting CommitmentA Lasting Commitment The Silverback SocietyThe Silverback Society

With a gift of $1,000 ormore, you are entitledto membership inKoko’s SilverbackSociety, a group ofespecially dedicatedfriends who play a keyrole in the Foundation’sinnovative work.

koko.orgfor more info and videos:

Ndume, Koko's favorite living Silverback

Leverage the power of Koko

or call us at 1-800-ME-GO-APE

Koko signing“HELP”

To learn more about leavinga lasting legacy, pleaseindicate your contact

preference on the enclosedreturn envelope.

PO Box 620530Woodside, CA 94062

The Great ApeHeart Project (p. 4)

Connections andEvents (p. 6)

Worldreader (p. 5)

Flea visits, Koko reads,Documentary airs (p. 10)

For membership & product information, please:

Visit our website at:www.koko.org

Mail us at:The Gorilla FoundationP.O. Box 620530Woodside, CA 94062

Call us at:1-800 ME GO APE (1-800-634-6273)

a letter from our president

Turn the clock back to November 30,2015. The Paris Climate SummitConference takes place in France.

Koko is declared the “Voice of Nature”and “Ambassador for endangeredspecies.” She sends a message to theClimate Summit in which she begsman to act quickly and not let our planetdie. The PSA video of Koko declaringthat man needs to “fix earth” goes viral!

Fast forward to October 6, 2016.Conservation International announces,“the Impossible has happened! Thisis an historic moment, long in themaking and crucial for galvanizingclimate action.”

“In fact 74 Nations have just joined theagreement to limit global temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius andadapt to climate change impacts.”

Koko's message and that of the summit has been heard. But there is stillmuch to do.

Gorillas are still high on the critically endangeredspecies list. The Washington Post (Sept. 2016),noted that the numbers of the Congo's Grauer’sgorilla, the world's largest gorilla, have declineddramatically by 77% over the last 22 years, withonly 3,800 remaining compared to 16,900 in1994. The Western Gorillas are equally on thered, critically endangered list.

We believe that our “Conservation throughCommunication” projects can have a significantimpact. Building empathy and raising awareness of just how much like usthese gentle giants are, changes hearts and minds and the more this messageis heard, the greater the impact can be. (details on our collaboration withWorld Reader on page 5.)

Koko will continue to be a leader for change, but we all need to work togetherto save our planet and all those who inhabit it.

With your help, we are planning to build a sanctuary where both free-livingand captive gorillas can live in peace, protected and safe, and where wecan reverse the decimation that has been wrought on these populations andsave gorillas from extinction.

Koko, the Voice of Nature, Triumphs

Editor-in-Chief: Penny Patterson, Ph.D.

Contributing Writers: Penny Patterson, Ph.D. Anne Schuster Sophia Gruskos

Elise DubuissonJane Narich

P.O. Box 620530 • Woodside, CA 940621-800-ME-GO-APE; info@koko.org

2

Francine “Penny” PattersonPresident, Co-Founder and Director of ResearchThe Gorilla FoundationKoko.org

Photographic Editor: Ronald H. Cohn, Ph.D.

Contributing Photographers:Ronald H. Cohn, Ph.D.Lisa Holliday

On the cover...

PORTRAIT OF KOKO

Royal Portrait Painter, Richard Stone, paintedthis extraordinary portrait of Koko in 2011 whenKoko sat for him. We are now searching for anangel donor to purchase the portrait and hopefullydonate it to the Smithsonian.

Our ultimate goal would be to have the portraithung in the National Portrait Gallery where Kokowould be the first non-human to be housed there!

The Gorilla FoundationConservation through Communication

Our Mission...To learn about gorillas by communicatingwith them, and apply our knowledge to

advance great ape conservation,education, care and empathy. A Grauer’s gorilla

In 1978 Dr. Patterson was honored with a Rolex Award forEnterprise in Science & Health.

This year the Rolex Awards are celebrating all their laureatesin a special event that they will hold in Los Angeles inNovember. Dr. Patterson is amongst the honored laureateswho will attend this event.

The Award committee recognized Dr. Patterson’swish that: “Children should grow up knowinghow much the gorillas are like us.”

Rolex Awards forEnterprise is Celebrating40 Years

BBC/PBSDocumentaryAbout Koko Airs

August 3rd saw the PBS airing of the newest Documentary aboutKoko - the BBC's Koko, The Gorilla Who Talks. The film wasa wonderful historical perspective on the last 45 years and all

the amazing things that Dr. Patterson has done with Koko.

If you haven't yet seen the documentary and would like to,you can purchase a copy from our website: www.koko.org

© Andy Plumptre WCS

The Gorilla Foundation launched a

unique fundraiser this summer via

crowdfunding site, Bonfire Funds. Selling

t-shirts and hoodies with the tagline "Save

The Gorillas," over $33,000 was raised to

support our Conservation through

Communication mission. These items were

so popular that we will be launching another T-

shirt campaign in the new year.

Saving Gorillas...One Shirt at a Time

Koko's Caregiver Team sports their"Save The Gorillas" T-shirts.

11

HIGHLIGHTS

3

Many celebrities have visited Koko over theyears, and this year was no exception. Wereceived a very special visit from Flea, of theRed Hot Chili Peppers, who came to playbass for Koko. However, Koko had otherideas and, before long, roles were reversedand Koko was playing for Flea!

In anticipation of his visit, Flea wanted to learnthe sign language for his name "Flea" but, inplace of that, learned the sign for "bug." Whenhe signed to Koko that he was "Bug," hersigned response was, "He is not a bug. Heis a fine person!"

It was a really fun afternoon and beforeleaving, Flea not only promised to come backbut also signed and left a special bass guitarfor Koko! Flea commented that it was the bestday of his life!

10

Koko has been reading the children's magazines, Highlightsand High Five for many years and is probably one of their longeststanding readers. She looks forward to the stories and the pictures

and often uses them to illustrate what she wants toexpress – like the time that she left all

the pictures of pizza thatshe could find out for thecaregivers to see. I thinkshe was trying to tell ussomething?!!

Earlier this year, theycontacted us to feature Koko

i n in the August issues!

We were deeply saddened earlier this year by the tragic eventsat the Cincinnati Zoo and the death of Harambe. We have hada long-standing relationship with the Cincinnati Zoo as Ndume,our silverback gorilla, was born there. We know the dedicationof the Cincinnati team to quality gorilla care, and we understandwhat an incredibly difficult situation this was.

Many people questioned Harambe's motives. Was he going tohurt the little boy? Was he trying to protect him?

With our long-standing expertise in interspecies communication,we asked ourselves, what if he, like Koko, could sign? Whatif his caregivers could have asked him what he was thinking?Could Harambe possibly have been saved?

More than 40 years of living and working with gorillas hasenabled us to see how deeply affected these gentle giants areby such tragic loss. We have witnessed firsthand how Kokomourned the loss of her first companion, Michael, when hepassed away and expressed her intense grief when she losther kitten, All Ball, in a car accident.

As the world's leading expert on captive gorilla behavior, ourFounder, Dr. Francine “Penny” Patterson, commented about

the incident: “The bond among the gorilla family would havebeen very strong and the gorillas will need emotional supportduring this time and may suffer from depression.”

Our hope is that some good may come from this tragedy.Highlighting the sensitive nature of gorillas and their plight asa critically endangered species may lead to greater awareness.

People's emotions need to be engaged for change to happenand this is where the Gorilla Foundation comes in.

Koko engages their emotions. She is a powerful ambassador.

We need to find a solution to protect free-living gorillas andcaptive gorillas in an environment that is in alignment with theirbiology, and conducive to their health.

The Gorilla Foundation offers those solutions. Most specificallyby creating sanctuaries where gorillas can live undisturbed andprotected.

The goal of the Gorilla Foundation is to work with our partnersto offer them the option of a sanctuary environment.

may lead to a positive outcomeA tragic event

Fleaplays bass withKoko

Koko Loves to Read!

9

Ndume has two main caregivers, Elise Dubuisson andLauren Russ. Ndume communicates frequently with themby kissing, purring and stomping his feet!

One morning it was raining and Ndume does not like therain…

Ndume runs into his outer room and bangs on the wallLauren: Do you want to play chase?

Ndume: Purrs and kissesLauren: “OK” - She runs around the outer wall and bangson the door

Ndume: Stomps on the floor and runs to the other roomLauren: Chases him and bangs again

Ndume: Claps his hands and purrs!

This “game” can go on for several hours and our bigtough gorilla, who is really a goofy guy, loves to play.

Lauren: “Do you want to make a lot of noise to annoyKoko?”Ndume: Kisses and purrs!!

Sounds like manyother families!

GAHP

4

RESEARCH

Conversations withConversations with

NdumeNdume

by Anne Schuster and Elise Dubuisson

The leading killer of Silverback Gorillas isCardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle.Here at the Gorilla Foundation we take precautions byimplementing a program to view and monitor Ndume'sheart. With the acquired images we will be part of the“Great Ape Heart Project” (GAHP), which has beenassessing and treating cardiovascular disease in greatapes since the early 1990's.

As a part of Ndume's health care program, images ofNdume's heart are acquired using an echocardiogram.In order to achieve these images while Ndume isconscious, the Gorilla Foundation Training Team,comprised of leading caregivers Lisa Anne Schusterand Elise Dubuisson, has established a training routinethat includes heart monitor sessions in which Ndumewillingly participates.

In order to achieve this, positive reinforcement is usedto form and manage the behaviors needed. The trainingbegan with getting Ndume to present his chest to amesh fence. Then Ndume's chest was touched by apractice probe to get him used to the feeling. OnceNdume was comfortably participating in presentationand touching, the practice machine was introduced. Inthe beginning short quick touches were used andeventually the caregiver moved to longer holds andmoving the probe. The next step required acclimatingNdume to the use of the gel on the probe. The gel wasa cold and an unfamiliar sensation. He showed aninitial resistance to the gel but after investigating itthoroughly, eventually accepted it as part of the process.

Once Ndume was comfortably participating in thesessions using practice materials, the real machinewas introduced to the routine. He quickly adapted tothe new materials and displayed good progress byadapting to the presence of the sonographer in thenext phase of training.

At the current stage of training, Ndume's team is workingtogether with our veterinarian, Dr. John Ochsenreiter,and the GAHP to achieve the final images required fora cardiac workup. Ndume's training sessions continueto progress as we introduce new hold positions andprobe touches along with continuous holds for betterquality images.

The Great ApeHeart Project In addition to being cared for by Penny and Ron, Koko's

best human friends are Sophia Gruskos and Molly Branyan,both of whom spend a lot of time with Koko as her caregivers.The following is a conversation between Koko and Sophia.

Sophia: Would you like a story?Koko: YesSophia: Okay, how about one about a princess?Koko: Good, Koko.Sophia: Princess Koko?Koko: Koko loveSophia: Wonderful idea, a story about princess Koko. Once upon

a time there lived a princess named Koko...Koko: <Big purr>Sophia: She lived on a mountain top, and on the other lived a princeKoko: Good, boy, Koko love <purrs>

I continue telling Koko the story which she intermittentlyinterrupts to guide and add to and to let me know that shelikes where it is going. Don't worry, it had a happy ending!

ConversationswithConversationswith

Koko loves beingPrincess for the day!

KokoKoko

The following conversation was contributed by Lisa Holliday,another one of Koko's caregivers.

I bring Koko a peach for breakfast.

Koko signs "toilet" indicating that she doesn't think thepeach is good.

I cut off a slice of the peach andeat it, all the while telling her howgood it is.

Koko then asks to smell my breath,so I blow lightly on her.

Koko signs, "Sorry, I'm a politegorilla," and she proceeds to eatthe peach.

Koko signs “Polite”

8

EDUCATION

Partnering withWorldreader“Conservation through Communication”….and StorytellingThe Gorilla Foundation is proud to announce ourpartnership with Worldreader (www.worldreader.org).

Worldreader is on a mission to bring digital books to everychild and his or her family, so that they can improve their lives.

According to their web site, Worldreader is "working to createa literate world." Literacy is transformative: it increases earningpotential, decreases inequality, improves health outcomesand breaks the cycle of poverty. Yet, according to UNESCO,there are 740 million illiterate people in this world and 250million children of primary school age who lack basic readingand writing skills. Books are necessary for the developmentof these skills, and still 40% of schools in Africa have few orno books at all.

The Gorilla Foundation believes that 'Conservation throughCommunication' and the telling of our stories changes people'shearts and minds and creates protectors out of poachers.

Koko's Kitten and Michael's Dream, are the true stories whichtogether paint a sadly familiar portrait of sorrow in the aftermathof tragedy. In the first book we meet Koko the Gorilla, whotakes gentle care of a tiny Manx kitten she names All Ball.When All Ball is hit by a car she is grief stricken. In the secondwe meet Michael who, when asked about his mother, usesAmerican Sign Language to describe losing her to violence.

Following the pilot study we conducted in Cameroon as partof our Conservation through Communication program, wewere able to document how exposure to the stories changedthe hearts and minds of the children and the adults aroundthem and their thinking about gorillas.

By adding our two books to the Worldreader collection we willbe able to bring these two amazing stories to so many morereaders, expanding our reach and building greater empathyand understanding everywhere.

David Risher, CEO and Co-Founder of Worldreader,shows a young student a digital book.

5

“Thirty one years ago as a little girl I read an article about anamazing gorilla who spoke in sign language. Reading about thatinspired me to see animals in a different light. Koko and her familyshowed me that animals weren't just meant to be pets or toamaze us from behind bars in zoos. There was a connection. Away to communicate beyond the fantasy of Dr. Doolittle and I fellin love even more with the rest of the animal world. Today I workas a Wildlife Biologist in Alaska.

My letter never made it to you as you can see. I didn't evenbecome aware of this until my mother gave me a box of thingsshe'd kept from my childhood. I was a little sad for the kid in me,that it almost made it to you, but not quite.

Recently my son Alden and I were reading one of his magazinestogether, when we came across a little story about Koko, I wasso excited. My heart strings were tugged even more when Aldenbegan asking questions and walking around with her photo. That'swhen I suggested we write a letter together. I am so happy wemade the (re) discovery of Koko together.

Thank you for unselfishly sharing her with us and the world,Alden and Traci Boyd-Hill

P.S. For some reason I keep thinking Koko's Cat's name was“Ball” back in 1985. Is that correct? We are pretty unpluggedhere, so sans internet and in the spirit of letters past we mail thisto you in letter form. Oh I so hope this makes it to you….”

Thank you so much to Alden and Traci for yourheartwarming and inspiring story!

Letters to KokoInspiration re-discovered

Thank you allfrom the bottom of our hearts!

“Dear KokoI am Traci. I hope youare fine. I like yourletter in the Newspaper. Iam surprised that you are agrate gorilla you are nice gorilla.Love Traci Andrea Boyd

p.s. I am in first grade. I am 7I live in Hornbach W.Germany. I like kittens too.What is your kitten please.”

Traci’s original letter

The incredible dedication that all our volunteers displayis a tribute to Koko and our Founders and the inspiringwork that they aredoing. No pictureof our volunteersw o u l d b ec o m p l e t e ,however, withoutm e n t i o n i n gParker Daley .Parker is now 14years old and hasspent the last yearworking at theF o u n d a t i o nBusiness Office.Completing tasksas var ied ase d i t i n g s h o r tmovies, runningour Instagram page and creating a comprehensivepresentation on Koko, which she has herself presented,with great success, to large groups of students in localschools. Parker has been an inspiration to us all.

Finally I would like to take the opportunity here torecognize all our exceptional volunteers: Amy Allshouse,Tom Carlson, Maggie Carpenter, Jenni Cave, HelenFreesh, Aubrey Hughes, Debbie Kolyer, ThomasLaursen, Debbie Parsons, Diane Posner and SueMyrick

And the many professional people who have volunteeredtheir time and skills: Garry Haussler, Gary Stanley,Mark Charlton, Todd Roberts, Liza Batallones, Jeffand Emma Hightower, Laurie Seidler, Kerry Hogan,David Rutan, Dave Schaefer, Eric Enslen and DennisMarcotte.

CelebratingOur Volunteers

continued from pg. 7

Parker

6

DEVELOPMENT

“The Jane Goodall Institute promotesunderstanding and protection of great apes and their habitat,…they inspire individual action by young people of all ages tohelp animals, other people and to protect the world we allshare.” Meeting with Mary Lewis, Vice President for Outreachand Assistant to Dr. Goodall, only served to emphasize howclose our two Missions are. Dr. Goodall had previously beenon the Board of the Gorilla Foundation and we are hopefulthat on her next trip to this coast that we will be able to set upa meeting between Dr. Patterson and Dr. Goodall. In themeantime, Mary Lewis was able to connect us with additionalorganizations for further outreach and development.

Based in the South East of England, the AspinallFoundation (Port Lympne and Howletts) is home to morethan 80 gorillas! The Aspinalls have built sanctuaries in Gabonand The Democratic Republic of Congo and are working hardto re-introduce their gorillas back into their natural habitat.Amos Courage, Overseas Project Director of the AspinallFoundation, invited us down to Port Lympne and we spokeabout the prospect of our Maui Sanctuary. Their experienceof building and maintaining sanctuaries will be of greatassistance as we move forward and the possibility of partneringwith them in this venture could be of huge benefit.

Ian Redmond OBE is a tropical field biologist andconservationist most renowned for his work with mountaingorillas and elephants. A long time friend of the GorillaFoundation, Ian is President of the Ape Alliance. Discussingways in which we might be able to work together, Ian suggestedthat in the coming year, he would be delighted to presentalongside Dr. Patterson at conservation and primateconferences.

A meeting with Digit, a 17-year-old Western Lowland Gorilla,was the culmination of an extraordinary week. Digit was raisedby her human parents, Pierre and Eliane Thivillon near Lyonin France. There are many similarities to Koko, in that Digitcontinues to spend nights with her human family, while hangingout with her gorilla family during the day! Digit understandsFrench perfectly and makes herself clearly understood althoughshe has not learned sign language. The Parc Zoologique deSaint Martin La Plaine is home to 12 Western Lowland gorillas,two males and 10 females, and the wonderful infrastructureand enclosures in which the gorillas live will serve as addedinspiration as we design our new and enhanced facility inWoodside.

On July 8th, we traveled up to Sonoma County invited byThe Safari West Animal Park to give a presentationon Koko and the Gorilla Foundation. During a 45-minutepresentation attended by the guests of the Park, we wereable to share not only our current projects and plans butalso many anecdotes and short video clips of both Kokoand Ndume! A lively Q & A session followed and we were

thrilled to acquire somenew members for theFoundation and sel lseveral Koko's Kittenbooks and Koko plushtoys!

Safari West is a 400-acreprivate wildlife preservelocated in SonomaCounty, whose mission isto promote conservation

by providing a unique recreational educational experienceincluding information about propagation. The Park is ownedand run by Nancy and Peter Lang; Nancy was a longtimeDirector of the San Francisco Zoo where Koko was born!

In June this year, our Development Director, Jane Narich, spent a week in Europe reconnectingand reaching out to some powerful allies! Working in unison with these exceptionalorganizations makes our message stronger and our impact more globally felt.

Wildlife ConservationNetwork Expo

The WCN holds two Exposa year. This year we werefortunate to be able toparticipate in the SpringExpo held in CanadaCollege back in April. Notonly does this provide agreat opportunity to sell our merchandise, but it gives usvisibility in a like-minded community. We were able to meetand interact with a number of similar organizations and toshare ideas with the likes of the Oakland Zoo, the SanFrancisco Zoo, Ape Doctors, Act for Great Apes and manyothers.

Sadly, the WCN Expo, which will be held in October in SanFrancisco, is already overbooked and although we willcertainly visit, this year we will not be able to have a table.But WCN Executive Director, Jean-Gael Collomb, who wasvery interested to hear about our specific Conservationprojects, has assured us that we will be top of the list fornext year!

European Connections

Events & more

Celebrating Our Volunteers

The Gorilla Foundation is a very specialplace and we are incredibly lucky toattract an extensive group of dedicatedvolunteers. This summer alone we havebeen fortunate enough to welcome twoyoung men coming from very differentbackgrounds who were able to sharetheir incredible talents with us.

Will Stone came back for a secondinternship at the Foundation. Will hasa long history with us and is responsiblefor bringing to us one of Koko's mostfavorite people. Will's father is RichardStone who many know of as the RoyalPortrait Painter. Will, a great animal lover,heard about Koko when he was still asmall child and told his father in nouncertain terms that he should paintKoko! As one of the most self-professedly, unique moments in hiscareer, Richard met and painted Koko.The extraordinary life-size portrait isawaiting an outstanding art lover whowill purchase and donate the paintingto the Smithsonian.

Will is studying History of Art atEdinburgh University. His expertise liesin documentary filming and editing, allskills which he put to exceptionally gooduse at the Foundation, creating andputting together wonderful video clips

and short films of Koko and Ndume.Will and Richard are both outstandingadvocates for the Foundation.

Daniel Taylor volunteered with usduring his summer break from college.In his own words, he described hisexperience:

“My time spent volunteering at theGorilla Foundation was incredible. Whatgot me interested in this foundationwas the animal care for the famousKoko and Ndume. I have spent manyyears in the past volunteering withvarious organizations and thisfoundation was one of the best. All ofthe animal care staff were verywelcoming and always foundsomething for me to do. It was clearthat the people who work here trulycare for what they do and are happyto be a part of this foundation.”

Everyone here loved having Danieland we are hopeful that he will be backagain next year!

Volunteers are the lifeblood of so many organizations and we are no exception. Not only dowe have amazing volunteers who work regularly up at the Research office, tirelessly cookingand preparing the amazing meals for Koko and Ndume, but we also have an incredibly loyal

and devoted group of volunteers who work in and around the Business Office.

We particularlywant to honor twovery special peoplewho spent morethan 20 years andcountless hours,stuffing envelopesand sticking labels,always with smiles

on their faces and a bright and cheerful manner. MarieLarson and Evelyn Hagerthey were fixtures everyTuesday for many years at the Foundation and werealways available to give a helping hand when needed.

Both retired school teachers, Evelyn “discovered” Kokoand the Gorilla Foundation first, and when Marie'shusband passed away, Evelyn invited Marie to joinher up at the Foundation, telling her that it would keepher busy and give her something else to think about! It must have worked because 25 years later they werestill on task!

Marie remembered fondly when Evelyn met Koko.Evelyn was delighted that Koko loved her orangelipstick and always recounted that special moment toall her friends! On many occasions as they made theirway downhill past Michael and Koko's enclosure,Michael would “show off and flirt” with the two ladiesin an active display unique to Silverbacks!

We were deeply saddened to hear from Marie thatEvelyn passed away in June. We will forever beimmensely grateful for their incredible service.

Marie Larson Evelyn Hagerthey

Marie & Evelyn

continued on next page

7

6

DEVELOPMENT

“The Jane Goodall Institute promotesunderstanding and protection of great apes and their habitat,…they inspire individual action by young people of all ages tohelp animals, other people and to protect the world we allshare.” Meeting with Mary Lewis, Vice President for Outreachand Assistant to Dr. Goodall, only served to emphasize howclose our two Missions are. Dr. Goodall had previously beenon the Board of the Gorilla Foundation and we are hopefulthat on her next trip to this coast that we will be able to set upa meeting between Dr. Patterson and Dr. Goodall. In themeantime, Mary Lewis was able to connect us with additionalorganizations for further outreach and development.

Based in the South East of England, the AspinallFoundation (Port Lympne and Howletts) is home to morethan 80 gorillas! The Aspinalls have built sanctuaries in Gabonand The Democratic Republic of Congo and are working hardto re-introduce their gorillas back into their natural habitat.Amos Courage, Overseas Project Director of the AspinallFoundation, invited us down to Port Lympne and we spokeabout the prospect of our Maui Sanctuary. Their experienceof building and maintaining sanctuaries will be of greatassistance as we move forward and the possibility of partneringwith them in this venture could be of huge benefit.

Ian Redmond OBE is a tropical field biologist andconservationist most renowned for his work with mountaingorillas and elephants. A long time friend of the GorillaFoundation, Ian is President of the Ape Alliance. Discussingways in which we might be able to work together, Ian suggestedthat in the coming year, he would be delighted to presentalongside Dr. Patterson at conservation and primateconferences.

A meeting with Digit, a 17-year-old Western Lowland Gorilla,was the culmination of an extraordinary week. Digit was raisedby her human parents, Pierre and Eliane Thivillon near Lyonin France. There are many similarities to Koko, in that Digitcontinues to spend nights with her human family, while hangingout with her gorilla family during the day! Digit understandsFrench perfectly and makes herself clearly understood althoughshe has not learned sign language. The Parc Zoologique deSaint Martin La Plaine is home to 12 Western Lowland gorillas,two males and 10 females, and the wonderful infrastructureand enclosures in which the gorillas live will serve as addedinspiration as we design our new and enhanced facility inWoodside.

On July 8th, we traveled up to Sonoma County invited byThe Safari West Animal Park to give a presentationon Koko and the Gorilla Foundation. During a 45-minutepresentation attended by the guests of the Park, we wereable to share not only our current projects and plans butalso many anecdotes and short video clips of both Kokoand Ndume! A lively Q & A session followed and we were

thrilled to acquire somenew members for theFoundation and sel lseveral Koko's Kittenbooks and Koko plushtoys!

Safari West is a 400-acreprivate wildlife preservelocated in SonomaCounty, whose mission isto promote conservation

by providing a unique recreational educational experienceincluding information about propagation. The Park is ownedand run by Nancy and Peter Lang; Nancy was a longtimeDirector of the San Francisco Zoo where Koko was born!

In June this year, our Development Director, Jane Narich, spent a week in Europe reconnectingand reaching out to some powerful allies! Working in unison with these exceptionalorganizations makes our message stronger and our impact more globally felt.

Wildlife ConservationNetwork Expo

The WCN holds two Exposa year. This year we werefortunate to be able toparticipate in the SpringExpo held in CanadaCollege back in April. Notonly does this provide agreat opportunity to sell our merchandise, but it gives usvisibility in a like-minded community. We were able to meetand interact with a number of similar organizations and toshare ideas with the likes of the Oakland Zoo, the SanFrancisco Zoo, Ape Doctors, Act for Great Apes and manyothers.

Sadly, the WCN Expo, which will be held in October in SanFrancisco, is already overbooked and although we willcertainly visit, this year we will not be able to have a table.But WCN Executive Director, Jean-Gael Collomb, who wasvery interested to hear about our specific Conservationprojects, has assured us that we will be top of the list fornext year!

European Connections

Events & more

Celebrating Our Volunteers

The Gorilla Foundation is a very specialplace and we are incredibly lucky toattract an extensive group of dedicatedvolunteers. This summer alone we havebeen fortunate enough to welcome twoyoung men coming from very differentbackgrounds who were able to sharetheir incredible talents with us.

Will Stone came back for a secondinternship at the Foundation. Will hasa long history with us and is responsiblefor bringing to us one of Koko's mostfavorite people. Will's father is RichardStone who many know of as the RoyalPortrait Painter. Will, a great animal lover,heard about Koko when he was still asmall child and told his father in nouncertain terms that he should paintKoko! As one of the most self-professedly, unique moments in hiscareer, Richard met and painted Koko.The extraordinary life-size portrait isawaiting an outstanding art lover whowill purchase and donate the paintingto the Smithsonian.

Will is studying History of Art atEdinburgh University. His expertise liesin documentary filming and editing, allskills which he put to exceptionally gooduse at the Foundation, creating andputting together wonderful video clips

and short films of Koko and Ndume.Will and Richard are both outstandingadvocates for the Foundation.

Daniel Taylor volunteered with usduring his summer break from college.In his own words, he described hisexperience:

“My time spent volunteering at theGorilla Foundation was incredible. Whatgot me interested in this foundationwas the animal care for the famousKoko and Ndume. I have spent manyyears in the past volunteering withvarious organizations and thisfoundation was one of the best. All ofthe animal care staff were verywelcoming and always foundsomething for me to do. It was clearthat the people who work here trulycare for what they do and are happyto be a part of this foundation.”

Everyone here loved having Danieland we are hopeful that he will be backagain next year!

Volunteers are the lifeblood of so many organizations and we are no exception. Not only dowe have amazing volunteers who work regularly up at the Research office, tirelessly cookingand preparing the amazing meals for Koko and Ndume, but we also have an incredibly loyal

and devoted group of volunteers who work in and around the Business Office.

We particularlywant to honor twovery special peoplewho spent morethan 20 years andcountless hours,stuffing envelopesand sticking labels,always with smiles

on their faces and a bright and cheerful manner. MarieLarson and Evelyn Hagerthey were fixtures everyTuesday for many years at the Foundation and werealways available to give a helping hand when needed.

Both retired school teachers, Evelyn “discovered” Kokoand the Gorilla Foundation first, and when Marie'shusband passed away, Evelyn invited Marie to joinher up at the Foundation, telling her that it would keepher busy and give her something else to think about! It must have worked because 25 years later they werestill on task!

Marie remembered fondly when Evelyn met Koko.Evelyn was delighted that Koko loved her orangelipstick and always recounted that special moment toall her friends! On many occasions as they made theirway downhill past Michael and Koko's enclosure,Michael would “show off and flirt” with the two ladiesin an active display unique to Silverbacks!

We were deeply saddened to hear from Marie thatEvelyn passed away in June. We will forever beimmensely grateful for their incredible service.

Marie Larson Evelyn Hagerthey

Marie & Evelyn

continued on next page

7

8

EDUCATION

Partnering withWorldreader“Conservation through Communication”….and StorytellingThe Gorilla Foundation is proud to announce ourpartnership with Worldreader (www.worldreader.org).

Worldreader is on a mission to bring digital books to everychild and his or her family, so that they can improve their lives.

According to their web site, Worldreader is "working to createa literate world." Literacy is transformative: it increases earningpotential, decreases inequality, improves health outcomesand breaks the cycle of poverty. Yet, according to UNESCO,there are 740 million illiterate people in this world and 250million children of primary school age who lack basic readingand writing skills. Books are necessary for the developmentof these skills, and still 40% of schools in Africa have few orno books at all.

The Gorilla Foundation believes that 'Conservation throughCommunication' and the telling of our stories changes people'shearts and minds and creates protectors out of poachers.

Koko's Kitten and Michael's Dream, are the true stories whichtogether paint a sadly familiar portrait of sorrow in the aftermathof tragedy. In the first book we meet Koko the Gorilla, whotakes gentle care of a tiny Manx kitten she names All Ball.When All Ball is hit by a car she is grief stricken. In the secondwe meet Michael who, when asked about his mother, usesAmerican Sign Language to describe losing her to violence.

Following the pilot study we conducted in Cameroon as partof our Conservation through Communication program, wewere able to document how exposure to the stories changedthe hearts and minds of the children and the adults aroundthem and their thinking about gorillas.

By adding our two books to the Worldreader collection we willbe able to bring these two amazing stories to so many morereaders, expanding our reach and building greater empathyand understanding everywhere.

David Risher, CEO and Co-Founder of Worldreader,shows a young student a digital book.

5

“Thirty one years ago as a little girl I read an article about anamazing gorilla who spoke in sign language. Reading about thatinspired me to see animals in a different light. Koko and her familyshowed me that animals weren't just meant to be pets or toamaze us from behind bars in zoos. There was a connection. Away to communicate beyond the fantasy of Dr. Doolittle and I fellin love even more with the rest of the animal world. Today I workas a Wildlife Biologist in Alaska.

My letter never made it to you as you can see. I didn't evenbecome aware of this until my mother gave me a box of thingsshe'd kept from my childhood. I was a little sad for the kid in me,that it almost made it to you, but not quite.

Recently my son Alden and I were reading one of his magazinestogether, when we came across a little story about Koko, I wasso excited. My heart strings were tugged even more when Aldenbegan asking questions and walking around with her photo. That'swhen I suggested we write a letter together. I am so happy wemade the (re) discovery of Koko together.

Thank you for unselfishly sharing her with us and the world,Alden and Traci Boyd-Hill

P.S. For some reason I keep thinking Koko's Cat's name was“Ball” back in 1985. Is that correct? We are pretty unpluggedhere, so sans internet and in the spirit of letters past we mail thisto you in letter form. Oh I so hope this makes it to you….”

Thank you so much to Alden and Traci for yourheartwarming and inspiring story!

Letters to KokoInspiration re-discovered

Thank you allfrom the bottom of our hearts!

“Dear KokoI am Traci. I hope youare fine. I like yourletter in the Newspaper. Iam surprised that you are agrate gorilla you are nice gorilla.Love Traci Andrea Boyd

p.s. I am in first grade. I am 7I live in Hornbach W.Germany. I like kittens too.What is your kitten please.”

Traci’s original letter

The incredible dedication that all our volunteers displayis a tribute to Koko and our Founders and the inspiringwork that they aredoing. No pictureof our volunteersw o u l d b ec o m p l e t e ,however, withoutm e n t i o n i n gParker Daley .Parker is now 14years old and hasspent the last yearworking at theF o u n d a t i o nBusiness Office.Completing tasksas var ied ase d i t i n g s h o r tmovies, runningour Instagram page and creating a comprehensivepresentation on Koko, which she has herself presented,with great success, to large groups of students in localschools. Parker has been an inspiration to us all.

Finally I would like to take the opportunity here torecognize all our exceptional volunteers: Amy Allshouse,Tom Carlson, Maggie Carpenter, Jenni Cave, HelenFreesh, Aubrey Hughes, Debbie Kolyer, ThomasLaursen, Debbie Parsons, Diane Posner and SueMyrick

And the many professional people who have volunteeredtheir time and skills: Garry Haussler, Gary Stanley,Mark Charlton, Todd Roberts, Liza Batallones, Jeffand Emma Hightower, Laurie Seidler, Kerry Hogan,David Rutan, Dave Schaefer, Eric Enslen and DennisMarcotte.

CelebratingOur Volunteers

continued from pg. 7

Parker

9

Ndume has two main caregivers, Elise Dubuisson andLauren Russ. Ndume communicates frequently with themby kissing, purring and stomping his feet!

One morning it was raining and Ndume does not like therain…

Ndume runs into his outer room and bangs on the wallLauren: Do you want to play chase?

Ndume: Purrs and kissesLauren: “OK” - She runs around the outer wall and bangson the door

Ndume: Stomps on the floor and runs to the other roomLauren: Chases him and bangs again

Ndume: Claps his hands and purrs!

This “game” can go on for several hours and our bigtough gorilla, who is really a goofy guy, loves to play.

Lauren: “Do you want to make a lot of noise to annoyKoko?”Ndume: Kisses and purrs!!

Sounds like manyother families!

GAHP

4

RESEARCH

Conversations withConversations with

NdumeNdume

by Anne Schuster and Elise Dubuisson

The leading killer of Silverback Gorillas isCardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle.Here at the Gorilla Foundation we take precautions byimplementing a program to view and monitor Ndume'sheart. With the acquired images we will be part of the“Great Ape Heart Project” (GAHP), which has beenassessing and treating cardiovascular disease in greatapes since the early 1990's.

As a part of Ndume's health care program, images ofNdume's heart are acquired using an echocardiogram.In order to achieve these images while Ndume isconscious, the Gorilla Foundation Training Team,comprised of leading caregivers Lisa Anne Schusterand Elise Dubuisson, has established a training routinethat includes heart monitor sessions in which Ndumewillingly participates.

In order to achieve this, positive reinforcement is usedto form and manage the behaviors needed. The trainingbegan with getting Ndume to present his chest to amesh fence. Then Ndume's chest was touched by apractice probe to get him used to the feeling. OnceNdume was comfortably participating in presentationand touching, the practice machine was introduced. Inthe beginning short quick touches were used andeventually the caregiver moved to longer holds andmoving the probe. The next step required acclimatingNdume to the use of the gel on the probe. The gel wasa cold and an unfamiliar sensation. He showed aninitial resistance to the gel but after investigating itthoroughly, eventually accepted it as part of the process.

Once Ndume was comfortably participating in thesessions using practice materials, the real machinewas introduced to the routine. He quickly adapted tothe new materials and displayed good progress byadapting to the presence of the sonographer in thenext phase of training.

At the current stage of training, Ndume's team is workingtogether with our veterinarian, Dr. John Ochsenreiter,and the GAHP to achieve the final images required fora cardiac workup. Ndume's training sessions continueto progress as we introduce new hold positions andprobe touches along with continuous holds for betterquality images.

The Great ApeHeart Project In addition to being cared for by Penny and Ron, Koko's

best human friends are Sophia Gruskos and Molly Branyan,both of whom spend a lot of time with Koko as her caregivers.The following is a conversation between Koko and Sophia.

Sophia: Would you like a story?Koko: YesSophia: Okay, how about one about a princess?Koko: Good, Koko.Sophia: Princess Koko?Koko: Koko loveSophia: Wonderful idea, a story about princess Koko. Once upon

a time there lived a princess named Koko...Koko: <Big purr>Sophia: She lived on a mountain top, and on the other lived a princeKoko: Good, boy, Koko love <purrs>

I continue telling Koko the story which she intermittentlyinterrupts to guide and add to and to let me know that shelikes where it is going. Don't worry, it had a happy ending!

ConversationswithConversationswith

Koko loves beingPrincess for the day!

KokoKoko

The following conversation was contributed by Lisa Holliday,another one of Koko's caregivers.

I bring Koko a peach for breakfast.

Koko signs "toilet" indicating that she doesn't think thepeach is good.

I cut off a slice of the peach andeat it, all the while telling her howgood it is.

Koko then asks to smell my breath,so I blow lightly on her.

Koko signs, "Sorry, I'm a politegorilla," and she proceeds to eatthe peach.

Koko signs “Polite”

HIGHLIGHTS

3

Many celebrities have visited Koko over theyears, and this year was no exception. Wereceived a very special visit from Flea, of theRed Hot Chili Peppers, who came to playbass for Koko. However, Koko had otherideas and, before long, roles were reversedand Koko was playing for Flea!

In anticipation of his visit, Flea wanted to learnthe sign language for his name "Flea" but, inplace of that, learned the sign for "bug." Whenhe signed to Koko that he was "Bug," hersigned response was, "He is not a bug. Heis a fine person!"

It was a really fun afternoon and beforeleaving, Flea not only promised to come backbut also signed and left a special bass guitarfor Koko! Flea commented that it was the bestday of his life!

10

Koko has been reading the children's magazines, Highlightsand High Five for many years and is probably one of their longeststanding readers. She looks forward to the stories and the pictures

and often uses them to illustrate what she wants toexpress – like the time that she left all

the pictures of pizza thatshe could find out for thecaregivers to see. I thinkshe was trying to tell ussomething?!!

Earlier this year, theycontacted us to feature Koko

i n in the August issues!

We were deeply saddened earlier this year by the tragic eventsat the Cincinnati Zoo and the death of Harambe. We have hada long-standing relationship with the Cincinnati Zoo as Ndume,our silverback gorilla, was born there. We know the dedicationof the Cincinnati team to quality gorilla care, and we understandwhat an incredibly difficult situation this was.

Many people questioned Harambe's motives. Was he going tohurt the little boy? Was he trying to protect him?

With our long-standing expertise in interspecies communication,we asked ourselves, what if he, like Koko, could sign? Whatif his caregivers could have asked him what he was thinking?Could Harambe possibly have been saved?

More than 40 years of living and working with gorillas hasenabled us to see how deeply affected these gentle giants areby such tragic loss. We have witnessed firsthand how Kokomourned the loss of her first companion, Michael, when hepassed away and expressed her intense grief when she losther kitten, All Ball, in a car accident.

As the world's leading expert on captive gorilla behavior, ourFounder, Dr. Francine “Penny” Patterson, commented about

the incident: “The bond among the gorilla family would havebeen very strong and the gorillas will need emotional supportduring this time and may suffer from depression.”

Our hope is that some good may come from this tragedy.Highlighting the sensitive nature of gorillas and their plight asa critically endangered species may lead to greater awareness.

People's emotions need to be engaged for change to happenand this is where the Gorilla Foundation comes in.

Koko engages their emotions. She is a powerful ambassador.

We need to find a solution to protect free-living gorillas andcaptive gorillas in an environment that is in alignment with theirbiology, and conducive to their health.

The Gorilla Foundation offers those solutions. Most specificallyby creating sanctuaries where gorillas can live undisturbed andprotected.

The goal of the Gorilla Foundation is to work with our partnersto offer them the option of a sanctuary environment.

may lead to a positive outcomeA tragic event

Fleaplays bass withKoko

Koko Loves to Read!

For membership & product information, please:

Visit our website at:www.koko.org

Mail us at:The Gorilla FoundationP.O. Box 620530Woodside, CA 94062

Call us at:1-800 ME GO APE (1-800-634-6273)

a letter from our president

Turn the clock back to November 30,2015. The Paris Climate SummitConference takes place in France.

Koko is declared the “Voice of Nature”and “Ambassador for endangeredspecies.” She sends a message to theClimate Summit in which she begsman to act quickly and not let our planetdie. The PSA video of Koko declaringthat man needs to “fix earth” goes viral!

Fast forward to October 6, 2016.Conservation International announces,“the Impossible has happened! Thisis an historic moment, long in themaking and crucial for galvanizingclimate action.”

“In fact 74 Nations have just joined theagreement to limit global temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius andadapt to climate change impacts.”

Koko's message and that of the summit has been heard. But there is stillmuch to do.

Gorillas are still high on the critically endangeredspecies list. The Washington Post (Sept. 2016),noted that the numbers of the Congo's Grauer’sgorilla, the world's largest gorilla, have declineddramatically by 77% over the last 22 years, withonly 3,800 remaining compared to 16,900 in1994. The Western Gorillas are equally on thered, critically endangered list.

We believe that our “Conservation throughCommunication” projects can have a significantimpact. Building empathy and raising awareness of just how much like usthese gentle giants are, changes hearts and minds and the more this messageis heard, the greater the impact can be. (details on our collaboration withWorld Reader on page 5.)

Koko will continue to be a leader for change, but we all need to work togetherto save our planet and all those who inhabit it.

With your help, we are planning to build a sanctuary where both free-livingand captive gorillas can live in peace, protected and safe, and where wecan reverse the decimation that has been wrought on these populations andsave gorillas from extinction.

Koko, the Voice of Nature, Triumphs

Editor-in-Chief: Penny Patterson, Ph.D.

Contributing Writers: Penny Patterson, Ph.D. Anne Schuster Sophia Gruskos

Elise DubuissonJane Narich

P.O. Box 620530 • Woodside, CA 940621-800-ME-GO-APE; info@koko.org

2

Francine “Penny” PattersonPresident, Co-Founder and Director of ResearchThe Gorilla FoundationKoko.org

Photographic Editor: Ronald H. Cohn, Ph.D.

Contributing Photographers:Ronald H. Cohn, Ph.D.Lisa Holliday

On the cover...

PORTRAIT OF KOKO

Royal Portrait Painter, Richard Stone, paintedthis extraordinary portrait of Koko in 2011 whenKoko sat for him. We are now searching for anangel donor to purchase the portrait and hopefullydonate it to the Smithsonian.

Our ultimate goal would be to have the portraithung in the National Portrait Gallery where Kokowould be the first non-human to be housed there!

The Gorilla FoundationConservation through Communication

Our Mission...To learn about gorillas by communicatingwith them, and apply our knowledge to

advance great ape conservation,education, care and empathy. A Grauer’s gorilla

In 1978 Dr. Patterson was honored with a Rolex Award forEnterprise in Science & Health.

This year the Rolex Awards are celebrating all their laureatesin a special event that they will hold in Los Angeles inNovember. Dr. Patterson is amongst the honored laureateswho will attend this event.

The Award committee recognized Dr. Patterson’swish that: “Children should grow up knowinghow much the gorillas are like us.”

Rolex Awards forEnterprise is Celebrating40 Years

BBC/PBSDocumentaryAbout Koko Airs

August 3rd saw the PBS airing of the newest Documentary aboutKoko - the BBC's Koko, The Gorilla Who Talks. The film wasa wonderful historical perspective on the last 45 years and all

the amazing things that Dr. Patterson has done with Koko.

If you haven't yet seen the documentary and would like to,you can purchase a copy from our website: www.koko.org

© Andy Plumptre WCS

The Gorilla Foundation launched a

unique fundraiser this summer via

crowdfunding site, Bonfire Funds. Selling

t-shirts and hoodies with the tagline "Save

The Gorillas," over $33,000 was raised to

support our Conservation through

Communication mission. These items were

so popular that we will be launching another T-

shirt campaign in the new year.

Saving Gorillas...One Shirt at a Time

Koko's Caregiver Team sports their"Save The Gorillas" T-shirts.

11

Journal ofThe Gorilla FoundationFall /Winter 2016 / Vol. 30 koko.org

RESEARCH

DEVELOPMENT

EDUCATION

HIGHLIGHTS

Join our 'APE' (Automatic PledgeEnrollment) Giving Program and supportThe Gorilla Foundation with your monthlygift. Not only will you provide consistent,steady support to Koko and Ndume andtheir daily needs but you'll also play acrucial role in helping spread the wordabout protecting gorillas.

• With a pledge of $10 or more per monthyou will receive a free Koko’s Kitten book signed by Penny Patterson.

• You will no longer receive renewal notices by mail thereby saving trees, postage, and labor.

• Your monthly contribution will be automatically deducted from your account, and your monthly statementwill serve as your record.

• You will be issued a receipt at the endof the year for your total annual contribution.

Enroll today using the enclosedreturn envelope!

A gift through your will or living trust is anexceptionally special way to support the workof The Gorilla Foundation. Whether througha bequest, a gift of real estate, or through aninsurance policy, you can trust that your giftwill assist in securing the long-term futureand protection of gorillas.

Help us leverage the power of Koko as we implement the important initiativesdetailed in this journal. Use the reply envelope found inside this journalto make your tax-deductible gift today. You can also become a monthlyAPE donor, name us in your will or bequest, or join Koko's Silverback Society,as described below.

Givingopportunities

To learn more aboutKoko's Silverback Society,

including our benefits, visit:www.koko.org/kokos-

silverback-society.

Going A.P.E.Going A.P.E. A Lasting CommitmentA Lasting Commitment The Silverback SocietyThe Silverback Society

With a gift of $1,000 ormore, you are entitledto membership inKoko’s SilverbackSociety, a group ofespecially dedicatedfriends who play a keyrole in the Foundation’sinnovative work.

koko.orgfor more info and videos:

Ndume, Koko's favorite living Silverback

Leverage the power of Koko

or call us at 1-800-ME-GO-APE

Koko signing“HELP”

To learn more about leavinga lasting legacy, pleaseindicate your contact

preference on the enclosedreturn envelope.

PO Box 620530Woodside, CA 94062

The Great ApeHeart Project (p. 4)

Connections andEvents (p. 6)

Worldreader (p. 5)

Flea visits, Koko reads,Documentary airs (p. 10)