Koko, the Gorilla Who Used Sign Language & Loved Cats is Dead at 46
Koko the gorilla dies at 46. (Photo Credits: Life on Earth/Twitter)

Koko, the western lowland gorilla who learned to speak sign language which endeared her to fans around the world, died in her sleep on Tuesday morning at the age of 46, according to The Gorilla Foundation (TGF), the non-profit gorilla conservation organisation responsible for her care. тАЬKoko touched the lives of millions as an ambassador for all gorillas and an icon for interspecies communication and empathy,тАЭ TGF representatives said in a statement. тАЬShe was beloved and will be deeply missed.тАЭ

Born on July 4, 1971 at the San Francisco Zoo, Koko was originally named Hanabi-ko, which translates to тАШfireworks childтАЩ in Japanese тАУ a reference to her birthday falling on the Fourth of July. When Koko was about one year old, she started learning sign language from Dr. Francine тАШPennyтАЩ Patterson, who remained her trainer throughout her life. Her extraordinary comprehension of spoken English and her capacity for sign language тАУ which included a vocabulary of more than 1,000 words тАУ brought the attention of the world to endangered gorillas and helped to raise awareness about gorilla conservation for decades.

For her birthday in 1985, researchers brought Koko a litter of kittens and let her choose one, seeing her affinity towards them. Koko chose a gray and white kitten that she named тАШAll BallтАЩ. She treated the feline like one of her own and carried it around like a baby. Unfortunately, All Ball tragically died in a car accident six months later and KokoтАЩs reaction stunned the researchers. She started whimpering тАУ a distinct hooting sound that gorillas make when they are said, as reported in LA Times.

Koko, When She Clicked Herself in the Mirror

Koko also became a household name in 1978 when she took a photo of herself in the mirror that appeared on the cover of National Geographic and the public embraced her fondness for cats and her ability to interact with humans through sign language. She again appeared on National Geographic in 1985.

Koko in National Geographic in 1985

Wild gorillas typically live for 30 to 40 years, while those cared for by humans can live into their 50s, according to the SmithsonianтАЩs National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Western lowland gorillas, like Koko, are a critically endangered species. Koko is survived by her current partner, named Ndume who was brought to TGF in 1991 and whose communication is limited to тАШnatural gorilla gestures and vocalisationsтАЩ, according to TGF.