Koko the talking gorilla | 60 Minutes Australia

[Music] at a secret location high in the misty hills just south of San Francisco I'm about to come face-to-face with the most famous gorilla in the world Coco meet my friend Coco the gorilla who talks and if you don't believe me watch and see for yourself [Music] it's amazing being this close staring into the eyes of a 200 kilogram gorilla but it's even more remarkable to have a conversation with her what do you want for dinner aqua what do you want to eat nuts no no he's I'll remember to bring nuts to be honest at first I'm skeptical but psychologist professor penny Patterson claims she's taught koko 1,000 words in sign language she also says koko can understand 2,000 words of spoken English your baby when I asked koko where her toy doll is she does seem to understand and goes off to look for it that's that's what she got one for ya she's bringing it over though this is this is one of the favorites hello penny I doubt there is a child in the world who hasn't dreamed of being like dr. Doolittle and talking to the animals that's probably true that that would have been me was that your dream when you were younger I was totally my world was animals I was fascinated with them 43 years ago this incredible relationship began when 24 year old penny first saw baby Koko at an American Zoo he wanted to unlock the world of communication between gorillas and humans she convinced the zoo owners that she should take over caring for Koko they've been together ever since it's a beautiful relationship you have with it so it's it is mother and daughter and it's not all smooth rides especially when adolescent hits do you have arguments sometimes and it's like who's gonna win this she says open time there it's lovely to meet you that we need everybody in here arguments are more often than not about Coco's living arrangements she tells penny she wants me to come into her cage oh honey I know what you're planning you're planning now that's really great visit she wants a party open but unfortunately getting any closer than I am now is restricted for everyone's well-being sweetie I'm sorry we can't do that today if I could talk to the animals yes professor Patterson's four decades of research with Koko is now the longest running eight language study in history yeah visit she sees her results speak for themselves but mainstream behavioral scientists strongly disputed claims that an ape like Coco can actually talk with sign language they say pennies merely projecting her own meanings on to Coco's gestures do do do you I know you want them all in here why do so many scientists do you believe rigidly deny that you are communicating with an ape like Coco well I think in some sense it doesn't fit into their worldview kind of like when the world was thought to be flat turned out to me around that upset a lot of people [Music] incredibly not only does penny believe koko understand words but she's now also at a point where she's developing her own vocabulary koko coined her own term for Penny's jewelry she's come up with herself comes up with him on her own and we didn't really have a word for ring but she called it a finger bracelet great name so or and a mask was an eye hat and we shocked when she started doing that did she go beyond what you as a scientist thought was possible I was very intrigued by that because that was another have more evidence that there's there's a talent in there that's intensely creative we're gonna haul this equipment even as we video her Koko takes an interest in our fluffy camera microphone and she's clearly asking penny what it is do you have some kind of something Ida missed that next time flower and that's not a flower well is there anything that was her thing that floods happen this is about actually a heart but I I didn't see the other thing you sign it's a microphone it's obvious Coko craves human interaction but it's equally obvious this hasn't been a normal upbringing for a gorilla when penny found Coco a potential mate this younger gorilla called Michael there was hope Coco might one day have a baby but while the two gorillas became firm friends they never made it one of the things I feel for Coco about she seems lovely she needs and has been asking for a family and we have been striving to create one for her but it's not it's not easy [Music] tragically Michael died several years ago and that sent Coco into a deep depression but a visit by comedian Robin Williams in 2012 changed all that further proof penises of Coco's ability to understand and communicate she'd seemed that he was a funny man and she was grieving at that time she had lost Michael and she hadn't smiled she wasn't eating very much she wasn't talking very much she was sleeping very much and he visited and for the first time she smiled she initiated a game of tickle he brought her back so that was a very special relationship when Robin Williams died two years later in 2014 penny Patterson claims Koko grieved for him when you talk about abstract concepts I mean one of the greatest abstract concepts for humans of course is the whole notion of life and death and I'll go she she does what does Koko describe death to be well she said that when you die you go into a comfortable hole and we blow you a kiss goodbye [Music] you are very very beautiful she liked that comment I'm so excited to meet you Coco she says well then do that just open this game see this is what she's been gaming for the whole time [Music] penny Patterson's four decades of work with Coco tell an extraordinary story of a lifelong commitment while most scientists have given up on ape communication they simply say it's not possible penny remains fervent in her belief she says it's not just possible to talk with this magnificent gorilla she also thinks Coco's still has a lot to tell us it's been lovely to meet you we share so much of their DNA don't we that 98% what does Coco think of us humans I think things were really slow hello I'm Allyson Langdon thanks for watching to keep up with the latest from 60 minutes Australia make sure you subscribe to our Channel you can also download the 9 now app for full episodes and other exclusive 60 minutes content

Channel: 60 Minutes Australia

Views: 180,921

Rating: 4.7492971 out of 5

Keywords: 60 Minutes, 60 Minutes Australia, Liz Hayes, Charles Wooley, Tara Brown, Liam Bartlett, Allison Langdon, Tom Steinfort, Peter Overton, Ray Martin, Jana Wendt, Jeff McMullen, Jennifer Byrne, Mike Munro, Richard Carleton, Tracey Curro, Peter Harvey, Ross Coulthart, George Negus, Ian Leslie, Gerald Stone, Sarah Abo, KOKO, koko, talking gorilla, look who's talking, Penny Patterson, gorilla, gorillas

Id: 1gfoBJnfK9c

Length: 11min 1sec (661 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 06 2019