JOURNAL OF THE GORILLA FOUNDATION www.koko.org Fall/Winter 2003 Volume 25, No.2 Schools in Cameroon Join Koko s Family Page 2 Michael Crichton joins our Board of Directors Page 14 Goodbye to a Loved Companion: Smoky 1985-2003 Page 15
The Gorilla Foundation Box 620530 Woodside, CA 94062-0530 website: www.koko.org email: koko@koko.org AOL Keyword: KOKO 1 800 ME GO APE 1 800 634-6273 GOVERNING BOARD Dr. Francine G. (Penny) Patterson, President Dr. Ronald H. Cohn, Vice President and Treasurer Mary Cameron (Maizie) Sanford, Secretary Former Hawaii State Senator Avery B. Chumbley Michael Crichton Peter Roberts Larry Tesler ADVISORY BOARD Ina K. Bendis, MD, Los Altos, California Elizabeth S. Fry, Management Consultant, Nevada City, California Ruth B. Heller, Kentfield, California Barry Munitz, Los Angeles, California Ronald Reuther, Belvedere, California Michael Sack, Certified Public Accountant, San Francisco, California Philip M. Shaw, Jr., Attorney at Law, San Francisco, California Jonathan Steel, Hampshire, England James R. Wheeler, Oceano, California SCIENTIFIC BOARD Dr. H. S. Robert Glaser, Professor of Biology, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany Dr. Edward J. Maruska, Executive Director Emeritus, Cincinnati Zoo Dr. Anthony Rose, Executive Director, the Biosynergy Institute; Director of Conservation, the Gorilla Foundation, Rancho Palos Verdes, California Dr. Peter G. Veit, Regional Director for Africa, Center for International Development and Environment, World Resources Institute, Washington, DC Dr. Richard Wrangham, Professor of Anthropology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts Arsen, a Conservation Values Program teacher, shares the story of Koko s Kitten with enthusiastic school children in Cameroon. The Gorilla Foundation s Wildlife Protectors Fund Africa Journal Schools in Cameroon Join Koko s Family Penny Fraser, WPF Cameroon Country Director The Gorilla Foundation established the Wildlife Protectors Fund (WPF) in 1999 in response to the slaughter of great apes for the illegal commercial trade in their meat. Today, under the direction of Dr. Tony Rose, the Fund promotes conservation values education in Africa, where Koko s Kitten continues to be used to evoke a sense of kinship to turn consumers and poachers into protectors of wildlife. There is no doubt that these programs are working but there is an urgent need to expand them, as ape populations continue to plummet drastically. Donations to the Fund will go directly to support our work in Africa -- please contact Lorraine Slater, Development Director, at lorraine@koko.org, for more information on how you can help. GORILLA PUBLICATION Editor-in-Chief...Dr. Francine G.P. Patterson Photographic Editor...Dr. Ronald H. Cohn Graphic Designer...Theresa Shebib Contributing Writer...Stewart Cheifet Copy Editor...Amanda J.S. Kaufmann OUR HARDWORKING STAFF Rhiana Bleakmore, Cece Cabanillas, Alison Carlson, Stewart Cheifet, Ronald Cohn, Angela Fiore, Jill Firstenberg, Serena Rose Leibrand, Sandra Marchese, Katie McCulloch, Rick Murphy, John Ochsenreiter, Penny Patterson, Dotti Rado, Theresa Shebib, Lorraine Slater, Cynthia South, Gary Stanley, Tiffany Van Fleet, Malinda Zeilinger OUR HELPFUL VOLUNTEERS Kim Anderson, Pat Brick, Julia Brinckloe, Pat Bromley, Evelyn Brown, Julie Burman, Carrie De Hart, Robbie Fullmer, Winnie Green, Evelyn Hagerthey, Cannon and Haley Han, Allison Hunter, Amanda J.S. Kaufmann, Sara King, Marie Larson, Eva Low, Adriana Manago, Larry O Leno, Brittany Retherford, Deborah Robbins, Tony Rose, Josie Salas, Rachel Sink, Russell Skibsted, JohnPaul Slater, Megan So, Tracy So, Katie Somera, Debra Steffin, Joanne Tanner, Maria Tointon, Wendy Von Wiederhold, Drea White, Brook Wyant 2 2003 The Gorilla Foundation/Koko.org ISSN #09768129 Since January of this year, the Conservation Values Program (CVP) has worked with 930 young people from the Yaoundé area in Cameroon, ranging from primary pupils to mature high school students and their teachers. The program is increasingly popular and has not only brought the subject of wildlife and environment to the attention of both teachers and students, it has also shown them that this is interesting and relevant to their lives. It has also catalyzed the development of opinion and debate about primates. After they had worked with us, the young children of La Noblesse primary school wrote a poem to Koko and sent it to us. It is printed below. Poem written by the children of Ecole prive La Noblesse primary, Yaoundé, May 2003: Famille Gorille! Ami de l homme! Figre hideus et eppayante, De comportement semblable à l homme. Etre gentil, intelligent et emotif! Pourquoi te massacre t-on? Armes à feu, feu de brosse te son motifs. Oh! quelle honte si tu vennais à disparaître par notre forte. Koko nous avons compris ton message. Tu as aimé et protegé un petit chat! Nous aimerons et protegerons te fiéres, Car ils nous rappellent nos origines et notre histoire. Tous les gorilles du monde sont les Koko. Translated into English: Gorilla family! Friend of man! A hideous and frightening figure, with a comportment similar to man s. Kind, intelligent, and emotional! Why do people massacre you? Firearms, brush fires are the causes. Oh! What a shame if you should disappear because of us. Koko, we understood your message. You loved and protected a little cat! We will love and protect your brothers, for they remind us of our origins and our history. All the gorillas in the world are Kokos.
Over the past six months, our program has evolved somewhat workshops have become an exchange of animal stories in which we tell the stories of Koko and Michael, stories that have come from America, and youngsters here tell their own stories. Sometimes they have personal experiences they want to share, or myths and legends about wildlife, sometimes traditions about how one should value animals and behave toward animals. These sessions always involve lively debate, but the format varies. The village kids know and love traditional tales this is what excites them so that is how we start the workshops, following up with the presentation of stories from America, another perspective, with parallel messages. When we open workshops in the city by asking participants if they know any wildlife stories or legends, or have personal experiences of wildlife, there is never a response participants say they don t know any. However, they love to hear and read about Koko and Michael and they love to watch videos about them. They feel that the stories are real and provide evidence about the intelligence, social nature, and capacity of gorillas. Urban kids have grown up with television they believe photographs and films more than something passed on from generation to generation. In these situations we have found that Gorilla Foundation materials are most effective in catching the kids interest and generating discussion about many wider issues. However, once the kids have engaged the subject, we have seen that introducing traditional myths and stories, whether thrown in by a facilitator, or referred to by one of the participants, provides a way of transferring the momentum of the debate to the theme of conservation values in a local context. Why did these stories evolve, what message were they conveying, and why? Religious values are often strong and influence the opinion that youngsters have toward wildlife and the natural environment. Arsen, a CVP teacher, wrote this report: At the opening of a workshop with members of the Environment Club of Lycee de Biyem-Assi, somebody asked the question, Do you believe in conservation? We received a variety of responses. Those who did environmental studies said yes, they had a strong belief in conservation because God created everything to have its one life and we cannot stop the living condition of anything. Furthermore, they said that each of God s creations has a soul, as mankind does. The others said we cannot live together with these species because, first of all, they are a nuisance. They destroy our crops, therefore they are to be consumed. God sent us these foods to be eaten. After reading and talking about Koko s Kitten, the students contributed stories, the most interesting of which was from 22-year-old Fofou Armet. He said he was a hunter living in the southern province of Cameroon. One day he decided to go hunting with his arrows. But before going to hunt he had doubts, which made him go into the deep forest where he found the spoor of gorillas and suddenly he heard the cry of gorillas. He approached near to the noise and saw gorillas lining up. He shot at the leader of the group and it died. He cut off the gorilla s ears and returned to the village to rally people to help carry the food out of the forest the ears being evidence that he had really killed. However, when the villagers returned to the forest, the dead gorilla had disappeared. When they got back to the village there was a rumor that someone called Edou was dead. The hunter went to see Edou s corpse. The ears were cut off. He then went directly to the chief and told him about how he had killed a gorilla in the forest and cut off its ears, but when he returned to the site to collect the meat, together with people from the village, the animal had disappeared. Now he supposed that it had in fact been Edou he had killed. The conclusion to his story was that after this experience, he never hunted again and that five years afterward he noticed that all these gorillas were reincarnated. Koko s Kitten has been used in Nature Study and Environmental Education, Reading and Comprehension lessons. The conviction with which Armet told his story made it seem very real, but some of the other students did not believe it. They were the ones who had lived all their lives in Yaoundé and they said that such things were impossible and old-fashioned myths. As a simple thank you to our supporters in America, we would like to share the appreciation of the principal of Etoug-Ege Baptist School, who has been working with the Conservation Values Program. We would also like to applaud his teachers who have found innovative ways of using our materials, simultaneously developing awareness and interest in wildlife, and supporting general science and language education. The ideas of the Etoug-Ege Baptist School teachers will be included in the next CVP education pack, to help educators throughout the Congo Basin region. Our friends here have translated the story of Koko s Kitten into Pidgin English, which makes a fun and interesting read. It will be available to you in the States very soon. Here is a thank you letter from the school: To: The Director of the Gorilla Foundation, Yaoundé A letter of appreciation. On behalf of the EBS family, I wish to express appreciation to you for copies of the Koko s Kitten you gave us. I am appreciating more especially just that intention you had to give, and more so, to EBS. It is not out of my wish that God should bless you bountifully. These books have been helpful to us in many ways, especially for the children of classes 3, 4, 5, and 6 where we have used them: In Nature Study and Environmental Education lessons, the children were opportune to talk about and see some of the animals they study. In Reading lessons, the pictures alone in the books are of interest, arousing, making the children want to read what is written and know what the book is all about, especially children who are still learning how to read. In Comprehension, the children read collectively and at the end of the book answer questions about the content. Above all, just for the fact that the books have been brought to us by the Gorilla Foundation, they developed interest, given that the children now like everything in connection with your foundation. So, thank you sirs for the gesture and since one good turn deserves another, we remain always at your mercy. Nsadzefe-Theoddore Headmaster, Etoug-ege Baptist School, Yaoundé 10-06-03 Growing Collaboration with Peace Corps in Cameroon Penny Fraser, WPF, Cameroon Country Director Wildlife Protector s Fund (WPF) collaboration with the Peace Corps started with two volunteers, Brian Gearing and Erin Swaider, a married couple, who were working as teachers in a remote town called Bafang, in the French-speaking West Province of Cameroon. Despite living in such a remote setting, they linked themselves into the informal Cameroon environmental education network and started a collaboration that now extends across the country. When the couple arrived in Bafang, they started to look for environmental groups in their local community, groups they could work with or assist in some constructive way. They found themselves helping a local nongovernmental organization called The Bushmeat Crisis Discussion Group to run activities for children from the environment club in a local school. They were using Koko s Kitten books. Erin and Brian came to Yaoundé with these colleagues to attend a workshop that was an 3
initiative of Chris Mitchell, the English former director and founder of the Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund (CWAF), which manages the Mefou sanctuary, home of Michael s Memorial Enclosure for orphan gorillas. The workshop, sponsored by Wildlife Protector s Fund- Gorilla Foundation, brought people together from all over Cameroon. It was called Towards a More Integrated Environmental Education in Cameroon. Our Conservation Values Program was just one of about thirty projects presented there. Erin and Brian were looking for projects and were keen to find ways to apply WPF ideas in their Bafang region. After spending some time discussing the Conservation Values Program, our proposition at that stage was that they take our materials and reports and experiment. We suggested they take advantage of their experience and knowledge of the schools, kids and communities that they were living and working with, and see how they could use WPF-GF resources for wildlife conservation education in their local context. Brian and Erin taught in the same town, but at different schools. Erin was teaching science in a secondary school and Brian was teaching English language in a technical school, where students went to learn practical professions. The technical school where Brian taught was well built, but Erin worked every day in a structure that resembled, or in fact was, one large, flimsily built barn or warehouse with loose hard-board divisions to separate off an area for each class. The noise of large teacherless classes of children carried through to test the concentration of those trying to work in other rooms. I travelled the five hours by road to visit Erin and Brian and to observe the teaching interventions they designed. They were both very imaginative and had spent many evenings in their small, dark, wooden house preparing lesson plans, thinking about and discussing together the best ways to focus their kids on the issues, and how to elicit and record their pupils attitudes and reactions to the intervention. Erin used the Koko s Kitten book with her biology class. She found the book useful as a tool to support her curriculum teaching and she chose to introduce it to her students when she was teaching them animal classification. As some light relief from taxonomy, she used the book to demonstrate the characteristics of gorillas, to illustrate their intelligence, their unique physical traits, and the traits that demonstrate their affiliation to close relatives. Then, the add-on that took them beyond routine curriculum topics, was to explore conservation values. Erin asked the kids why they thought Koko wanted a pet kitten, whether they thought gorillas were dangerous, had feelings, and how they thought humans should behave towards gorillas. Erin used the pre- and postintervention questionnaires with her students. These had been designed to assess the impact of CVP interventions on attitudes toward gorillas. She confirmed our concern that questionnaires are not the best measure of attitude. Students are accustomed to being tested, but not opinion surveyed. They complete any form by providing the information they believe the recipient wishes to read, and most very quickly judged that Americans talking about wildlife wanted pro-conservation responses. This itself indicated a certain awareness of American values. From her knowledge of her students, and how they express themselves, Erin devised ways of observing and recording their opinions games where they had to affiliate themselves into groups, answer oral questions, and do exercises in which individuals and groups had to write their comments privately or in front of the class. Erin and Brian s work in Bafang demonstrated that Peace Corps volunteers can be ideal messengers to take experiences, tales, and research from America to people in Africa. They understand the context of the American stories and are able to explain, for example, why gorillas are living in the way that Koko lives and the reasons for interspecies behavioral research, which puzzles most Cameroonian teachers. Also, through living simply in Cameroonian communities, they are able to empathize with and relate to the perspectives of their local audience. The result of our work with Erin and Brian was that WPF Executive Director Dr. Anthony Rose and I met the head of Peace Corps Cameroon, Robert Strauss, in June 2002. We also worked with George Yebit of the Environment and Agro-forestry Program and Gabriel Kwenthieu of the Education Program and head of the English Language Teaching Program, and agreed on a formal program of collaboration between our two organizations. Meetings with the Environmental Education Committee volunteers and exchange between Penny Fraser, Anthony Rose, and Penny Patterson resulted in a Teacher s Guide. Over the past year, the CVP has evolved from a program that was based on sharing stories from America with young people in Cameroon to one that focuses on exchange of wildlife stories, tales, and traditions. Hello, this is the Gorilla Foundation. 4 It s for you.
On Koko s birthday walk, Koko and Penny take time to smell the flowers and later eat them. Right, Koko tries her hand at gardening. Gorilla Fun in the Sun Koko does the same on another day. Photo by Rick Murphy Ndume creates a waterfall after fishing treats out of the pool placed atop the horizontal ladder. Cucumber can cool you down on a hot day. 5
Conversations with Koko Ron captures part of the signed mirror sequence below with his camera. Person. Animal. May 14, 2003, with Penny Patterson. Ron takes photos of Koko looking at a 365-day cat calendar. Koko leafs through and stops at a photo signing, Koko: That smoke look. (Smoke done with one finger) to a photo of striped grey kitten that looks like Smoky. Later, Koko looks at herself in a large mirror. Ron takes photos. Koko: Gorilla person animal body-hair stomach. Then Koko grooms using mirror, examining her underarm. Later in the session, to the mirror: Koko: That. Fake that. Me. June 13, 2003, with Serena Rose Leibrand. Serena Rose brings a CD for Koko to listen to a song, Ape Man by The Kinks. Serena Rose: You ve got to listen to this song, Honey. It s really cool. It s about apes and how you n me are the same, how we re both apes. (Voice only.) Serena Rose starts the song singing and signing along with some parts. SR: (lyrics) I m an ape man, I m an ape ape man, oh I m an ape man. (Signing gorilla for ape. ) Koko: Fake. Lip. (Koko uses lip to refer to women.) SR: (lyrics) Cause compared to the sun that sits in the sky, compared to the clouds that sail by, compared to the bugs and the spiders and flies, I am an ape man. K: Fake. Lip you. SR: Sorry! Ape woman! K: Laugh.* They continue listening and Serena Rose changes the chorus to ape woman, emphasizing the change to woman. K: Purr.* SR: (lyrics) I want to sail away to a distant shore and make like an ape woman. SR: Like you n me go to Hawaii. K: Grunt.* (Assent.) SR: (lyrics) Come on and love me, be my ape man girl, and we be so happy, in my ape man world. K: Purr.* Lip nipple. (Koko uses nipple to refer to people.) SR: Girl people same as gorilla girl. You n me family. And Ndume gorilla man. K: Purr.* Koko listens to Serena Rose sing and as the song is coming to the end: K: Sleep. SR: OK, OK. I ll quit torturing you with my singing! Serena Rose turns off the music. Koko picks up a human baby doll. Twisto-tongue! Koko makes a face in front of the mirror. K: Laugh.* SR: Have people baby there? K: Sleep. Koko turns her side to Serena Rose still holding the doll. She kisses it. K: Nipple. (She puts the doll to her nipple.) Lip. Koko glances over and sees Serena Rose is watching her. She quickly drops the doll in her lap. Koko nests quietly for about 10 minutes. Then, suddenly: K: Laugh.* SR: What funny? Serena Rose looks closer at Koko. She s got the human baby doll in her hand and a tiny gorilla doll in her foot. Koko fondles the gorilla doll in her foot. SR: Is that a gorilla man? (Koko uses foot to refer to men.) K: Laugh.* Foot this. (Signed on gorilla doll.) SR: Gorilla man and girl people! That s really cool! K: Purr.* SR: Smart! K: Purr.* SR: I love our people gorilla family. K: Blow-kiss.* SR: Yeah. I kiss you. Koko sets the dolls down in her nest and starts to arrange her blankets again. K: Sleep. SR: The babies sleeping now? K: Good. Koko continues building her nest, then pauses. K: Sleep. SR: What? You n me sleep too? K: Good. SR: OK. All family sleep. Serena Rose lies down and Koko takes a nap. 6
Memorable Moments with Ndume March 14, 2003, with Serena Rose Leibrand. Serena Rose needs to clean one of Ndume s rooms and he is not budging from it. Serena Rose: I need you outside or in there. (She indicates the back room.) Ndume is still not cooperating. Serena Rose leaves for a few minutes and comes back. SR: Want to try this again? (Voice only.) Ndume: Kiss.* (His answer to the affirmative.) But he still doesn t go into the back room. Serena Rose decides to try something new and uses a gesture of Ndume s that means move your feet/walk/run and two natural gorilla gestures both the gorillas use that are also ASL signs. SR: Pat-foot away there. (Sign only.) Ndume promptly goes into the back room and allows Serena Rose to close the gate. SR: Wow! That was great! I guess I just had to speak your language today. N: Purr.*# April 10, 2003, with Serena Rose Leibrand. Ndume and Serena Rose are playing. Ndume is inside lying on his back, getting silly with his blankets and toys. Serena Rose talks to him from outside, looking in his window. Ndume: Stir# (blankets and toys). Grins.# Purr.*# Ndume holds a small chair in his feet. Serena Rose: In your feet! Ndume sets it down after a bit. N: Clap, clap, clap. (His feet together.) Clap, clap, clap. (His hands.) SR: You clapped your feet! I ve never seen that before! Cute! N: Slap-feet.# SR: Feet, right! N: Mine. Grin. SR: You have good feet. N: Love-pats.# SR: You love your feet. N: Mine. SR: And I love your feet. N: Slap-foot.# Grin. Photo by Rick Murphy Got it! Ndume secures the piñata after Koko got it down. SR: Oh, you re too cute! N: Purr.*# Love-pats.# Ndume settles down, still holding one of his feet. He looks over at Serena Rose and smiles. SR: Are you going to sleep now? N: Purr.* SR: I love you. N: Love-pats.# Grin. July 3, 2003, with Penny Patterson. Outside Koko has just heaved a large plum branch at Ndume, but he stays put. Penny: Yeah. Ndume: Purr.* P: I m going to give Ndume a big squeaky kiss. (Voice only, repeated several times.) Ndume purrs,* then Koko purrs.* Penny positions herself behind a post so that Koko cannot see her in relation to Ndume and gives a loud squeaky kiss to her own hand, but says: P: I gave him a kiss, Koko. (Voice only.) N: Toilet-look. (Ndume does the sign for toilet, also used to denote nonsense, on the eye instead of the nose.) An appropriate signed response to the deception of the kiss, not really planted on Ndume, that Koko could not see. June 25, 2003, with Penny Patterson. Koko does a running display as Penny s and Rick s difficulty-filled testing of sound equipment to record the gorillas vocalizations wraps up. Koko: Time come. Penny follows Koko across the yard to give her some aloe vera and returns to where Ndume is. Penny: You guys are really good. (Voice only.) Ndume: Fake listen. The equipment was giving them trouble first the microphone button was not on, then the batteries died, and Ndume had stood by listening to the discussion of the problems. July 23, 2003, with Penny Patterson. Koko: Kisses* (to Penny from across the yard) after Ndume finds a bag containing a nut following verbal clues from Penny. P: Ndume found the nut. (Voice only.) Ndume: Uh-hum.* (Assent vocalization.) Koko: Open time that. (To gate to the small yard.) Penny checks and opens the gate. Koko runs in followed by Ndume. Koko bangs and runs out. P: Good idea. Chase game. Need dog to play chase game? K: Chase. Penny goes all the way around and chases into small yard with Koko. Ndume is near by in the large yard. P: We need you, come on. (Voice only, to Ndume.) N: Uh-hum.* (Assent.) K: Purr.* Penny hides behind the gate lever to Koko s chute in the small yard. Ndume runs in and Koko moves out of his way. Ndume comes over to where Penny is hiding. P: Yeah. (Voice only.) P: Good game, you found me! Photo by Rick Murphy Under each tub with a symbol is a peanut. Ndume searches for and finds a nut in this outdoor enrichment game. Photo by Rick Murphy 7
Photo by Rick Murphy N: Chutter* as Penny leaves the small yard area. Ndume also leaves. Koko bangs and hides behind the firehose curtain. P: Koko hiding now. Koko moves to the corner of the large yard with three large cement cylinders. Ndume chest slaps and runs to join her there. Koko signs something on her face, but it is not clear. Ndume goes inside one of the large cement cylinders. P: He s hiding. Very good place to hide, Ndume. (Voice only.) K: Purr.* P: He s smart. He understands the game. (Voice only.) K: Purr.* P: Should I find him? (Voice only.) Penny moves so she can see Ndume and he can see her. N: Look rotten. He moves out of the cylinder. Koko tosses a plastic shutter she was holding at Ndume. P: Let s chase Koko. P: I chase Koko. She s not running though. You ve got to play the game. Ndume plays the game. (Voice only.) He hide. N: Purr.* P: I will get chased, then I m running. Ndume moves toward Koko. Koko runs one way and Ndume another. P: I m gonna go hide now. (Voice only.) Penny hides behind the small yard gate lever again. K: Kiss.* (To Penny in small yard.) P: I m hiding Koko. (Voice only.) K: Purr* when Penny says, P: Is Ndume hiding too? (Voice only.) Penny goes to look for Ndume, who is nowhere to be seen and then hears him, N: Huh.* (Assent.) He is up on a high shelf in the corner near the small yard. P: Wow, he did hide! This is a good hiding place. I couldn t see him but I found him! (Voice only.) Koko goes to the small yard, Penny follows her, and Ndume comes down from the shelf. Penny hides at the entrance to the small yard. Ndume comes in, Koko bangs. P: You found me. (Voice only.) Penny hides behind the small yard s solid door. P: Shhh Koko, don t tell him. (Voice only.) Ndume comes close, looks the other way, then to Penny hiding and signals that he found her by vocalizing, N: Kiss.* P: You re so cute. You thought of this game. Thank you for thinking of it. (Voice only.) K: Purr.* Purr.* P: Ndume plays a good game. Penny picks up a plastic bat and looks for the matching plastic softball. P: New game. Rick spots it under a table in large yard. Penny tries to get it. Ndume goes over to it. P: By your foot. (Voice only.) Ndume moves back to the toilet and in doing so moves the ball quite close to the mesh. P: Yeah! (Voice only.) N: Purr.* Ndume goes to the small chair the ball is under and reaches behind himself for it. P: Good boy! N: Purr.* P: Open. We open the roundabout and Ndume picks up a red ball, the size of a hard ball the other is white and larger. P: You re shining today. N: Clap ball. (The first gesture makes an applause sound and ends in the configuration that is the ball sign and is held.) N: Purr.* P: You are so good. You play nice. (Voice only.) * Indicates a vocalization. # Indicates a sign, gesture, or vocalization was repeated an unspecified number of times. Ndume rests on his new indoor-outdoor carpet thoughtfully provided by Rick Murphy. Gorilla Foundation in the News by Katie McCulloch Books Hooked On Phonics, 2003. Published by Gateway Learning Corporation. Contains an educational reading piece for children about Koko s use of ASL and her relationship with her first kitten. Guinness World Records, 2003. Published by Guinness World Records, Ltd. Names Koko the most proficient signing gorilla, with a working vocabulary of over 1,000 signs and comprehension of around 2,000 words of spoken English. Communicating with Animals, 2004. Published by Pearson Education, Inc. A children s book on animal communication that includes a section on Koko s use of sign language. Psychology in Action, 2004. Published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Cites Koko s use of sign language and her repeated requests for a kitten as evidence that gorillas can acquire language. Newspapers Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA), 10/6/03. Beloved Albino Gorilla Near Death At Barcelona Zoo. Describes the failing health of Snowflake, the albino gorilla, and compares his world-wide fame to that of Koko s. Boulder News (Boulder, Colorado), 9/9/03. A Change of Heart about Animals. Article discusses the similarities between humans and other animals. Cites Koko and her signing abilities, understanding of English, and IQ as an example. Oconomowoc Enterprise (Oconomowoc, WI), 6/26/03. It Seems Like Mail Requests for Money Never Stop after the First Gift Gorilla Foundation Remains One of a Few Favorite Charities. Author describes Koko s use of sign language and the Gorilla Foundation s goal of understanding and preserving lowland gorillas. The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC), 6/10/03. Book s Purpose to Protect Endangered Gorillas. Children s book reviewer discusses Koko s Kitten and the Gorilla Foundation as well as how this book is being used in Project Bushmeat to fight the bushmeat trade. Quoti (France). This daily newspaper for French children featured an article on Koko and the CD Fine Animal Gorilla. Honolulu Advertiser (Honolulu, Hawaii), 7/31/03. Primate Sanctuaries Struggling in Hawaii. Many organizations, including the Gorilla Foundation, want to build primate sanctuaries in Hawaii because of the ideal climate, but many never get off the ground owing to lack of funds. The Gorilla Foundation is starting an intensive fundraising drive for the Maui sanctuary so Koko can move to her new home soon. The Western Mail (Wales), 8/9/03. Who Put the @ in E-mail and Why Does Jelly Wobble? This Welsh newspaper describes how the University of Glamorgan refers to 8
Koko and her signing abilities in one of their promotions. Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH), 3/27/03. Seventh Graders Learn about Gorillas. Shanon Lemanke, who has studied gorillas for years, presented her Endangered Gorilla Program to local seventh graders. In this program she discusses project Koko to emphasize gorillas intelligence and emotions. Periodicals Beacon Shopper (Babylon, NY), March 2003. Pets, Pets, Pets In light of Mr. Rogers recent death, this article recounts his visit with Koko in 1998. Satya (New York, NY), May 2003. Editorial Musical Apes. Describes Peter Gabriel playing music with Kanzi and Panbanisha and mentions the CD Fine Animal Gorilla that is inspired by Koko s signing. National Geographic Kids (Washington, DC), May 2003. Wild About KIDS. An article about how Koko loves to read many things, including National Geographic Kids, which she has subscribed to for 27 years. Natural History Museum Magazine, (Stockholm, Sweden). Features a picture of Koko with her kitten and a story for kids about communication. Broadcast That Saturday Show, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Radio (Vancouver, BC), 6/14/03. Peter Brown interviewed Penny Patterson about communication between animals and humans. They discussed Koko s use of ASL and how Penny is learning more from her every day. Penny also mentions her dream to create the Maui Ape Preserve as a haven for all the language-using apes. Women On Leadership: Insights from Women Making an Impact on Our World, by Mark Thompson & Richard Wilson. Published by Network Public Broadcasting International 2002. Interviews about leadership from a woman s perspective. Includes an interview with Penny Patterson. GF Publications Behavior and Brain Sciences, (New York, NY) October 2002. A New Paradigm? by Bonvillian, John D. and Patterson, F.G.P. Commentary on Shanker, S.G. and King, B.J. The Emergence of a New Paradigm in Ape Language Research. Vol.25, No. 5, pg. 621-622. August 4, 1983, with Toni Peterson. Mike lays on his stomach, head propped on one fist. Toni: Who you? Michael: Me stink. T: Who me? M: Me gorilla good. T: Not you. Who me? M: Toni. T: Thank you. (Tony applauds.) M: Lettuce that. (Pointing to the bowl of lettuce.) T: Give me a long sentence with the word lettuce. M: Me me me me me me good... eat. T: That s a long nag. M: Gorilla good. September 2, 1983, with Toni Peterson. Tony enters the room with a red bag that occasionally carries treats for Mike. Michael: Know bag... nut. Toni: How you know nut in bag? M: Know bag nut good eat. T: Nothing in here. See. Mike stands to look in the bag. Later, after dinner. M: Nut mad. T: Why you mad? M: Nut. T: No nuts today only banana slices. M: Purrs.* T: Be quiet when you eat this? M: Myself good eat. Michael Chronicles Young Michael rides aboard a broadly-smiling Koko. toward Leigh Anne. She laughs. LA: Where is your nose? Michael presses his nose against the mesh. LA: Where is your eye? Michael uncovers one of his eyes and jumps playfully toward Leigh Anne. He offers a corner of the blanket to Leigh Anne and she manages to pull all of it to her side of the mesh. LA: Mine. Mine. Mine. My new blanket. Mike sits upright abruptly and gives Leigh Anne a direct stare. LA: Whose blanket is this? Michael: Myself. LA: Yes. You are right. Sorry, I was confused. M: Good. (Often used to mean yes.) Leigh Anne gives him the blanket and they resume their game. Dill weed is a current favorite of Koko s. Herbs and leafy greens make up half of Koko s diet. February 11, 1994, with Leigh Anne Kranz. Leigh Anne and Michael play indoors. Michael has a new yellow blanket, which he drapes over his head. Leigh Anne: I can t see a face under there. Michael sticks his tongue out through the mesh Michael signs his baby form of eat. 9
Democratic Republic of Congo that seems to be a cross between a gorilla and a chimpanzee. The apes nest on the ground, which is what gorillas do. But the apes have a diet rich in fruits, characteristic of chimps. A skull found in the area has a pronounced ridge called the sagittal crest which is found only on gorillas. But the size of the skull is more typical of a chimpanzee. Primatologist Shelly Williams, who has taken video of the apes, says they have bodies like gorillas but the facial characteristics of a chimp. Genetics researchers are now conducting DNA tests on fecal samples. Russell Mittermeier, president of Conservation International, says, If this turns out to be a new species of ape, it would be one of the biggest discoveries in primatology. Photo by Rick Murphy Handsome Ndume. African Gorilla Update by Stewart Cheifet and Sandra Marchese Two Illegally Captured Gorillas Return Home to Cameroon: Government officials involved in the rescue of the two young lowland gorillas say they probably fell into the hands of smugglers after their mothers were killed for bushmeat. The gorillas were sold as infants to a businessman living in Nigeria and were later confiscated and sent to the Limbe Wildlife Centre in Cameroon. Infant Gorilla Confiscated from Poacher: An infant gorilla, weighing only 33 pounds, was rescued by trackers of the Tayna Gorilla Reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The baby gorilla was taken from a man who claimed he had found her after she was abandoned by a family of gorillas that had moved into his banana field and then ran away after he chased them. He said he decided to take the infant gorilla into town and sell her when neighbors told him he could get $5,000 for her. Staff at the Gorilla Reserve are making plans to either return the gorilla to her natural habitat or take her to a local primate research center. New Gorilla Population Discovered in Cameroon: Researchers from the San Diego Zoo have found a group of gorillas in an area of the Ebo forest in Cameroon where it had always been assumed that gorillas did not exist. The area is across the Sanaga River, which separates the Ebo forest from known gorilla habitats. Scientists had always theorized that the river was a natural barrier to gorilla migration. But several gorillas have been spotted, including a silverback, a few females and some infants. Hair samples have been taken from the gorilla nests for genetic analysis. The gorilla researchers say it is possible that this could be a new subspecies of gorilla not previously known. The findings of the research team are due to be published later this year in the International Journal of Primatology. New Ape Species in Congo? Scientists have discovered an unusual group of apes in Positive Strides Toward An End to Bushmeat: In regions where animal populations have been declining by the bushmeat trade and the Ebola virus, people are noticing that there are alternatives to bushmeat. They are now eating greater amounts of fish, chicken, and beef. Additionally, officials in Cameroon announced that vendors selling meat of protected animals will face a sentence of up to several years in prison, as well as fines up to $16,000 U.S. Outside of Africa, several zoos across Europe have raised money for equipment and education for many parks protecting gorillas. The bushmeat campaign of these European zoos is making some headway. The Petitions Committee will be presenting a factfinding report concerning the bushmeat problem to the European Parliament. This will cause Parliament to generate an official position paper and possible funding for the bushmeat campaign. Sources: Gorilla Journal, June 2003; La Lettre du Bassin du Congo, No.1; The New York Times; The Star, Malaysia; New Straits Times, Malaysia; www.berggorilla.de; www.health.fgov.be; www.panafricanprimates.org; www.signonsandiego.com; www.thestar.com; www.vanguardngr.com. Koko placed an acacia branch and her favorite doll in the arm of the red teddy bear given her by Jon and his young daughter Hannah Steel (above, right) twice during the day after she received it. (4/17/03). On 4/24 Koko continued to have the red teddy bear interact with the doll, having the bear sit up and putting the doll s mouth to the bear s. 10
Gorillas in the News by Sandra Marchese Births Mandaazi was born in July 2002 to 22-yearold Jessica at the San Diego Zoo. In Swahili this youngster s name means Sweet. Mandaazi was named in honor of one of Jessica s relatives also named Mandazzi who died several years ago at the age of one in the tragic Philadelphia Zoo fire. The birth last July marks Jessica s fourth offspring and this little Mandaazi continues to thrive. Mbeli, a female baby and half-sister to Fataki (see below), was born to Mouila on February 15, 2003, at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia. Her father is Kibabu. Keepers report she is thriving and trying to crawl off mum at any opportunity. Matadi, a male gorilla, was born April 25, 2003, at the Twycross Zoo in England. Matadi is being reared by his mother, Ozala. His father is Sekondi. Baby boy gorilla Lengai was born to Kolo in late April 2003 at Germany s Stuttgart Zoo. Kolo was keeping such close tabs on her little one that keepers were unsure if little Lengai was a boy or girl for nearly a month. Also at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, Fataki, a male gorilla, was born on May 25, 2003, to mother Frala and father Kibabu. Fataki means fireworks in KiSwahili. Frala is said to be taking good care of her new infant, and her status among the troop has noticeably increased, according to keepers there. Deaths Yasuko, a female gorilla born in the wild in 1977, died in Japan s Kyoto Zoo on May 26, 2003. Cora, a 24-year-old female on loan from the Columbus Zoo since 1996, died unexpectedly of a stroke on June 4, 2003, at the Detroit Zoo. A bacterial infection of the lungs and brain are thought to have brought on the hemorrhagic stroke. Cora, who was childless herself, is said to be the first third-generation gorilla born into captivity. She was the first granddaughter of Colo, the first gorilla born into captivity worldwide and still residing at the Columbus Zoo. Thirty-four-year-old Maguba, a female western lowland gorilla, died June 18, 2003, at the Dallas Zoo, just hours after suffering from a stroke. Transferred from the Denver Zoo in 1991, Maguba was a member of the first troop of gorillas formed by the Dallas Zoo. Snowflake, the albino gorilla who has been a star attraction at Barcelona zoo for decades, died of cancer on November 24, 2003. He had been at the zoo for 37 years, popular with generations of visitors and becoming a symbol The Gorilla Foundation hosted colleagues from Japan. With the establishment of the Maui Ape Preserve, we hope to strengthen these relationships. From left, Lorraine Slater, Gen Idani of Great Ape Research Institution Japan, Penny Patterson, Ken-ichi Ishii, Director of the Hayashibara Museum of Natural History, Maki Kitabayashi and Gary Stanley. of the city. Snowflake's fans have been filing past his enclosure to say goodbye since learning that his death was imminent. Snowflake Copito de Nieve in Spanish had been at the zoo since 1966. Snowflake, who produced 22 offspring during his long captivity, was believed to be 38-40 years old. Other News Sweden Becomes Fifth Country to Ban Great Ape Biomedical Research In 1986, the United Kingdom became the first country in the world to ban the use of great apes in invasive research with the enactment of the Animal Procedures Act. Over the last fifteen years, three other countries followed Great Britain s lead: Japan, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. There is one exception in the Netherlands, where it is still legal to use chimpanzees in hepatitis C research being done at the Biomedical Primate Research Center. Now Sweden has become the fifth country to formally ban invasive research on great apes. The Swedish ban is even broader than other countries, covering not only great apes (gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, and bonobos) but also nine species of lesser apes including gibbons and siamangs. The move by the Swedish National Board of Agriculture and the National Board for Laboratory Animals is largely symbolic since there is currently no research under way in Sweden using great apes or gibbons. However, the manager of the Swedish animal rights campaign, Per-Anders Svard, said the move is an important ideological statement: The decision implicitly recognizes the individual moral worth of primates. There are no excuses for using primates in experiments and this is finally beginning to sink in. Hopefully this ban can be seen as a first step toward extending moral and legal rights to millions of other animals suffering in experiments. In the United States, it is estimated that more than a thousand chimpanzees are still housed in research laboratories. It is not known how many of these great apes are actually being used in research projects. No gorillas or orangutans are currently being used for medical research in the U.S. The Humane Society of the United States has called for a ban on the use of all great apes in biomedical research in the U.S. It is also calling for the permanent and prompt relocation of all great apes from research laboratories to suitable sanctuaries. Koko carries her current favorite baby doll as she might her own baby Koko s mother carried her this way when she was very tiny. 11
Dear Office Administrator, Please accept the enclosed donations of $84.87 from the Castleton Elementary School and the Castleton community. This fundraiser was the idea of our son, Nathaniel Bauman, who is a third-grade student at Castleton Elementary. Nathaniel has loved gorillas since age four. His first plush gorilla was named Virunga, which he carried in his pocket, everywhere. In his prayers each night, Nathaniel prays for gorillas, hoping that poachers will learn to help them instead of hunting them. He has a deep desire that the gorillas be protected in the wild, and a dream that he will one day communicate with the great apes as Dr. Penny Patterson has with Koko and with Michael. As a parent, it has been both heartwarming and awesome to know a child who feels such passion and care for another creature. Nathaniel has said for years that he wants to be a primatologist and we believe that he will. We are also thrilled that these educators, with such vision, believe in children too. We hope that these funds assist you in your work to preserve and protect all gorillas. Thank you again for your vision and commitment to saving gorillas and for offering the public an avenue to contribute. On behalf of Nathaniel and his dad we are, Most sincerely yours, Peggie Bauman Castleton, VT letters Dear Dr. Patterson, My seventh grade Life Science students wanted to help Koko celebrate her birthday after we watched A Conversation with Koko. I am always amazed by the effect her story seems to have on my students. My most challenging students let down their guard and are moved to learn some sign language and express a desire to help. We have included a VHS tape for Koko that we made during one of the last days of class before summer vacation. In it is part of a song we composed for Koko. I will enclose a copy of the lyrics. Thanks again for your inspirational work and please accept our best wishes for Koko. Phil Pack W.V.W. Middle School Kingston, PA have been seen. Chorus Koko, you remind us we re not the only ones That care and cry and love our kids and play to have some fun. Chorus We must respect your place here and even though you re strong You can t survive unless mankind decided we both belong. Chorus Koko is good. Koko is cool. We learned about Koko when we went to school. Koko and Dr. Patterson frequently receive letters from families and teachers who want to share their stories. Especially inspiring to us here at The Gorilla Foundation are the stories that relate how Koko, and Dr. Patterson s research, have touched the lives of special children. Below are excerpts from a series of e-mails written by Koko fan Jacquie Svensson. Jacquie s son Thor has autism. I am the mother of a 21 month old autistic boy. Today he saw the video clips [on the Internet] of Koko signing and he was transfixed! He sat so still, watching each clip over and over, smiling this huge smile. Somehow she touched him. Something connected for him that doesn't usually connect I wanted to thank you for that. My son is nonverbal. I am hoping maybe by watching Koko sign he will learn that he too can talk I just know that since Thor saw Koko he is MORE responsive to us. It sounds strange, especially to me. But he LOVES her In my mind Koko is one of Thor s special angels. I have been thinking since the first time Thor Svensson Thor discovered Koko. I wonder if he finds a kindred spirit here? I just felt there was sort of a recognition there. it strikes me that perhaps through people like Koko, people like Thor can be reached sometimes he is so far away. To see him link up like that was delightful to me. Thor continues to sit on my lap to watch Koko. He LOVES her... he gets hold of the postcard and carries it around like something precious. You and she have really touched that little boy! Thank you and thank Koko for this mommy!! Jacquie and Thor Svensson Below are excerpts from recent correspondence with Itai Roffman, National Coordinator of the Jane Goodall Institute s Roots & Shoots program in Israel:...I must say that after giving an exhausting amount of presentations in the past few months we have come to learn that Koko & Michael CHANGE the world views of everyone hearing about them.in all our presentations I talk about Washoe and her family and I also talk about Koko and Michael: the outcome is remarkable, the students suddenly become more concerned about humanitarian and ecological concerns, start to regard Gorillas, Chimps, etc., as our Hominid Brothers and then they start making a difference!...my brother Orr is sixteen and mentally disabled - he simply can't talk well and after watching Koko sign it's been much easier to understand him he started to copy her signs and after a month or so learning ASL he added vocal words to each sign. Koko has helped my brother so much, my wish is that she ll do the same for all other autistic children out there KOKO S SONG Lyrics by Phil Pack Koko is good. Koko is cool. We learned about Koko when we went to school. Repeat Chorus: When we saw her on T.V. Koko blew our minds. We couldn t believe she knew all those signs. Chorus Koko s a gorilla and we are human beings, But she s showed us all a few things that never Koko s room is filled with toys. You can see the view from her room and if you look closely, you can see Flower on Koko s porch. 12
suffering from lack of communication....roots & Shoots Israel works with three schools for the mentally challenged. There we found that once the children saw Koko sign on the Internet they started to copy her signs; autistic children amazed everyone by starting to communicate. So it'll be wonderful to teach these students ASL through Koko s videos. Our goal is for all Israeli Autistic children to study sign language with Koko as an extraordinary teacher. Dear Dr. Patterson, I just had to write and couldn t wait to go and buy nice-looking stationery. I ve just finished your latest magazine Spring 2003, Volume 25. When I turned to the back page and saw a big, black, round blob, and realized it was Koko, it broke me up! She it sitting on what looks like a kitchen sink, and you are casually doing something next to her. I just love her. And my heart still grieves over Michael! The last time I wrote it was to tell you that my husband Duane and I thought Michael to be absolutely magnificent! To our complete amazement you printed the letter! Sadly, I ve also lost Duane; he died in his sleep. It was seven years October 17. Penny, I truly try to send as much as I can afford in my contributions. My love to our Koko and Ndume, may you soon be in Hawaii. I ll love Koko, baby or not warmly, Josephine Ford (and Duane) Holden, ME Dear Dr. Cecil Patterson, I was visiting the Gorilla Foundation Web site when I saw the link to your Web site. There I read your excellent speech on the topic of civilization. It is a superb example of a persuasive speech! May I have permission to make photocopies of the speech for my Communications Skills students (thirty freshmen at Johnson & Wales University)? The students are studying persuasive speaking and the power of language to shape reality. Thus far, the students have studied speeches by Ralph Nader ( Growing Up Corporate vs. Growing Up Civic ), Alice Walker (tribute speech), and Robert Redford (environmentalism). The students will soon be treated to A Conversation with Koko, since I will also be their teacher for the two-weeklong Community Service Learning Course. (I will also show the film to my two Composition I classes who will write essays entitled What Is a Gorilla? ) Thank you for posting your speech on the Internet, and for being the Dad of a person I have long admired who is making a difference in this world. Karen Iacobbo Providence, RI Dear Koko, My first language in this world was sign. As a little girl, you were an inspiration to me. I was born with developmental aproxia (speech and language processing problem). I had to work very hard to compensate for this problem. Koko uses the telescope donated by D. Sherene Offutt (in response to our website wishlist) to look at distant objects on the ground and in the sky. However, now I speak English and maintain a 4.0 GPA. It takes me longer to do my homework and I can t keep my grades and do a job. Koko, you are our insight to a whole new world of communication. I appreciate this gift you ve given us. Tia Mia A. Taylor Dear Dr. Patterson, My granddaughters and I are contributors to your organization. (I m the one who s going to give you lots of money when I win the Lotto.) I even have Koko s sign language poster prominently displayed and show it to many friends and guests. Recently we received a copy of Michael s beautiful artwork as our membership gift. A friend stopped by the other night and I showed him the artwork. He asked, Who painted this? A gorilla named Michael. You mean like an ape?! Same big family group, but a gorilla. Pause Pause Pause while he studied the picture. A gorilla, he said, still staring at the picture. Yes, I said. Painted this. Yes, I said. My older granddaughter, Brittany, age 12, after seeing photos of Mr. Rogers and Leonardo DiCaprio with Koko, asked me, How come celebrities get to visit with her and no one else gets to? I hope I explained it correctly by saying that yours is primarily a research facility, and you have lots of work to do. You don t have the time or staff to conduct tours and private visits, and it would take away from the gorillas learning time. The few opportunities that Koko has for this must be used with high-profile persons, to create videos and other materials to increase public awareness. She said, Well, I m going to become a celebrity so I can visit Koko. I said that was great, but laughed to myself thinking that it is perhaps the most unusual (and wonderful) reason I ve heard for someone to strive for fame. Jan Michael Orange, CA How to get this back together? Koko with a piece of her favorite playhouse. 13
Dr. Michael Crichton and Dr. Penny Patterson on September 15 at the Commonwealth Club reception for Dr. Crichton s talk. The Gorilla Foundation Welcomes Michael Crichton to Our Board of Directors We are delighted to announce that Dr. Michael Crichton, renowned author and filmmaker, has recently joined the Gorilla Foundation Board of Directors. The Gorilla Foundation Board provides vital leadership for the organization, ensuring sound policies and programs are enacted and providing wise guidance in many key areas. The Foundation is fortunate to have the support of an extremely qualified group of individuals who volunteer their time and skills to help the Foundation flourish. Even as we welcome Dr. Crichton, we also want to take this opportunity to offer warmest thanks to all of our Board members, who give so much of themselves to helping the Foundation achieve its mission. We also want our members to know of the wide array of talents they bring to this effort, and that is why we are profiling them for you. Michael Crichton Author, Filmmaker After graduating from the Harvard Medical School, Michael Crichton embarked on a career as a writer and filmmaker. Called the father of the techno-thriller, his novels include The Andromeda Strain, Congo, Jurassic Park, and Timeline. He has also written four books of non-fiction, including Five Patients, Travels, and Jasper Johns. He has sold over 100 million books and his books have been translated into thirty languages; twelve have been made into films. He is also the creator of the television series ER. He is the only person to have had, at the same time, the number one book, the number one movie, and the number one television show in the United States. Always interested in computers, Crichton ran a software company, FilmTrack, which developed computer programs for motion picture production in the 1980s; for this 14 pioneering work he won an Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Technical Achievement Award in 1995. His film Westworld was the first feature film to employ computer-generated special effects. Crichton has won an Emmy, a Peabody, and a Writer s Guild of America award for ER. Francine Penny Patterson, Ph.D. Chairman of the Board President and Director of Research Dr. Francine Penny Patterson received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Stanford University where, as a graduate student in 1972, she began working with oneyear-old Koko. In 1976, Dr. Patterson, Dr. Ronald Cohn, and the late Barbara F. Hiller established the Gorilla Foundation to benefit gorillas living in captivity and those struggling to survive in the rapidly-disappearing African rainforests. She is the author of more than 40 publications, including The Education of Koko with Eugene Linden, and the awardwinning children s books Koko s Kitten and Koko s Story, and a recipient of National Geographic Grants and a Rolex Award for Enterprise. Ron and Koko Ronald Cohn, Ph.D. Treasurer of the Board Vice President and Photo-Documentarian Dr. Ron Cohn has been with the project from its inception and shares Dr. Patterson s life-long commitment to the gorillas. Ron serves as an authority figure for Koko and his presence is an integral part of their daily routine. His award-winning pictures and films of the gorillas have helped to make the Gorilla Foundation a well-known organization around the world. Prior to co-founding the Gorilla Foundation, Dr. Cohn received a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. He was a cell biologist at the Stanford Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics and did much of the initial ground-breaking research in genetic engineering and membrane structure. He also discovered that adult cells make hyaluronic acid from glucosamine and led the way for glucosamine treatment for arthritis. Mary C. Sanford Secretary of the Board Director Emeritus Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Ltd. Mrs. Mary C. Sanford (Maizie) comes from a family with a longstanding background in Maui agriculture. Her grandfather, H.A. Baldwin, was head of the Maui Agricultural Co. and descendant of Protestant missionaries from New England in 1830. Her father, J. Walter Cameron, was head of Maui Pineapple Co. Maizie has served on the board of Maui Land & Pineapple Co. for 25 years and is currently Director Emeritus. Additional board service includes Haleakala Ranch Co. and a variety of non-profit organizations: J. Walter Cameron Center, Fred Baldwin Memorial Foundation, and Hawaiian Mission Children s Society. She was recently invited to serve on the Board of the University of Hawaii Foundation. From top left, Stanford ACT Team Leaders Fred Thiemann and Terry Erisman, TGF Board Members Peter Robers and Larry Tesler. Larry Tesler Vice President of Engineering Amazon.com Larry Tesler is a vice president of Amazon.com. From 1997-2001 he was president of Stagecast Software, Inc., a children s educational software company. Previously, he served as vice president and chief scientist of Apple Computer, where one of the research groups that he headed built a gorilla-proof computer for Koko. A graduate of Stanford University, Tesler conducted software research at the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). Peter Roberts Senior Human Resources Executive Peter Roberts has extensive experience in operations management and human resources, most recently as Vice President of Human Resources for Office Depot and Viking International. In that position he was responsible for all Human Resource activities associated with the acquisition of Viking Office Products.
Avery B. Chumbley Former Hawaii State Senator Senator Chumbley was Hawaii state senator from 1994 2002, representing the 6th District, South and East Maui- North Shore Kauai. While in the Senate, he served as its vice president and was co-chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In 2002 he decided to retire from the Senate to devote himself to professional pursuits; he is also president of the Wailuku Agribusiness Co., Inc. and general manager at the Maui Tropical Plantation. In-Kind Donations Many thanks to the following businesses and individuals for their generous support. Produce, Juices, and Gorilla Treats: Alice s Restaurant; The Box (Paul Johnson); DeeAnn Draper; Horizon Health; Rick Murphy; Joanne Nicoll; Roberts Market; Dotti Rado; Duane Wasson; Whole Foods Market. Equipment and Software: Apple Computer; Cell Robotics (Laser Lance); FileMaker, Inc.; Inverness Medical Innovations (Clear Blue Easy); LW Scientific; D. Sherene Offutt (Telescope); Netopia; Quidel Corporation; SurgiVet; TW Medical Veterinary Supply; We Fix Macs (J. Goldstein); Worldwide Marketing, Columbia TriStar/Sony Motion Picture Group (Erin Dogan); ZRT Laboratory. Professional Services: American Medical Response; Apple Learning Interchange (Maxx Judd, Keith Mitchell, Dianna Williamson, Terry Zimmerman); Bingham McCutchen LLP (Deborah A. Bailey-Wells, Barbara Friedman, and Kerry Medd); Julia Brinckloe; Ian Carroll, MD; Clinical Microbiology and Virology Laboratory at Stanford Hospital and Clinics; Janet Covey; Critical IT Solutions (Rick Koski); Blake Daley-Kelly; Aaron de Berry; Erin Dogan; Goodby Silverstein and Partners; Maarten Hooft; Johnson and Dugan Insurance Services; FotoKem (Larry Michalski); Amanda J.S. Kaufmann; Amelia Kinkaid; Little Pearls (Rick Aguar, Ed Kelly, Linda McLean, Debra Roberts); Kristin Long; Greg Martinez; Bettina McAdoo, MD; Media Link (Chris Ammen, Dan Cunningham, John Hiss); Fred Mihm, MD; Sara O Brien; John Ochsenreiter, DVM; One Union Recording Studio (Eric Eckstein); Tracy Pettengill; Taylor Ray; Joseph A. Regezi, DDS, MS; Gabby Reiter; Tony Rose; Annette Salinger, MD; Russell Skibsted; JohnPaul Slater; Robert Turner, DDS; Dave West; Marta Williams. Additional In-Kind: Sarah Houser; Karen Langthorne; Dotti Rado; Gary Stanley. Special thanks to the Stanford Alumni Consulting Team: Michael Balma; Rick Brant; Bryan Brown; Dione Chen; Terry Erisman, Team Leader; David Hoyt; Arnold Lee; Fred Thiemann, Team Leader. Although Koko was sad, she did know that Smoky was older and being treated for her problems. Smoky has been such a big part of our everyday lives she will be missed. Goodbye to a Beloved Companion Smoky May 1985 - August 2003 by Malinda Zeilinger It is with great sadness that I report that our beloved Smoky, 18 years old, has made her last walk around the grounds of the Foundation. She passed away in August, after being treated for some time for geriatric kidney and liver problems. Smoky, a half-sister to All-Ball of Koko s Kitten fame, was brought to the Foundation by a staff member as part of a litter at a time when Koko was in need of a new kitten. It seems her previous kitty companion, Lips, had grown up and wasn t quite as playful. Smoky was the kitten from the litter who followed Koko around, so she adopted Koko! Smoky has been such a big part of our everyday lives, always following us, asking to be petted and groomed (she really loved to be brushed) and keeping the gopher population down (above). She would check on Koko each night, then walk up to the office to keep whoever was working company for the evening such a big heart for so small a loved one. Koko knew that Smoky was older and being treated for her problems. She knows that Smoky is gone and is sad at times, but is okay with Smoky s passing. We all know that her kitty spirit will be with us forever. To honor Smoky, and all Koko s kittens, we are establishing the Smoky Memorial Fund to help support the work of the Foundation. If you would like to contribute, please send your donation to: The Gorilla Foundation c/o Smoky Memorial 1733 Woodside Road, #330 Redwood City, CA 94061 All donors will receive a special Smoky remembrance. 15
Koko watches our recent Public Service Announcement featuring Robin Williams. Help the Species Campaign with Robin Williams What do actor/comedian Robin Williams and Koko have in common (aside from a sense of humor and excellent communication skills)? They share concern about the future of the world s gorillas. Free-living gorillas and other Great Apes will be hunted into extinction within a generation at the current rate of slaughter for commercial bushmeat. Our Public Service Announcement narrated by Robin (campaign co-chair) and Koko is captivating. It features these two beings sharing laughter; illustrates the intelligence and sensitivity of Great Apes; and alerts viewers to the worldwide crisis facing our closest living relatives. The call-to-action is to visit our website to learn how to help and see more of Robin and Koko s amazing meeting. Our PSA is being broadcast nationwide, so please ask your local stations to contact us for a copy of the PSA if you have not seen it. If you would like to watch Robin and Koko together, visit www.koko.org. One of the things Koko likes to do on her walks is to get into Penny s car. An ACT -ive Partnership The Gorilla Foundation has been fortunate in enlisting the counsel and advice of a group of distinguished volunteers, the Stanford Alumni Consulting Team (ACT), to help evaluate options for a Visitor Education Center on Maui. We are indebted to Gorilla Foundation consultant Alison Carlson, a Stanford alumna and formerly Assistant Director of the Public and Global Management Programs at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, for connecting us with this uniquely helpful resource! ACT is comprised of experienced business people with MBA s from the Stanford Graduate School of Business who reach out to non-profits to assist them in developing sound strategies for implementing projects successfully. The team working with the Foundation is comprised of eight individuals who each have track records in a variety of business areas. They also share a passion for the work of the Foundation, and each has experience in helping other non-profits succeed in developing new programs and services. The Gorilla Foundation s team, led by Terry Erisman and Fred Thiemann, includes Michael Balma, Rick Brant, Bryan Brown, Dione Chen, David Hoyt, and Arnold Lee. The foremost goal for the Visitor Center is to showcase the Foundation s unique work and draw greater public attention to the threats facing gorillas in their homeland. In so doing, we will become a first-class educational resource for the Maui community, and for the 2 million tourists who visit the island annually. We are extremely grateful to the ACT group, for their guidance in helping us develop a sound business strategy to ensure the most effective outreach possible. The Gorilla Foundation / koko.org Box 620530 Woodside, CA 94062-0530 NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PORTLAND, OR PERMIT #2160