2006: Ndume

The Michael Chronicles
Michael passed away April 19, 2000. In
recognition of this anniversary and to honor
Michael’s life, we have reprinted below the
very first journal article printed in December
1977 introducing Michael to our members.
Not a day goes by that we don’t remember
and fondly reflect on all that he was: a gifted
story teller, sensitive and intelligent being,
prolific painter and a lover of classical music.
Introducing Kokoʼs Friend
Michael
by Ann Southcombe
Michael is now 75 pounds of bustling
energy and quite a match for Koko’s 120.
When Michael was in quarantine, Koko was
told a new baby had arrived. At the moment
she got her first glimpse of this robust little
scrapper, a shocked Koko signed “wrong
old.” This was no baby!
The first few weeks of their eye-to-eye
contact was traumatic for Koko. She reacted
much as a human “only” child would when a
new sibling arrives. Her world had been
invaded by a “wrong old!” You would never
have guessed then that they would soon be
the best of friends. Both love their early
morning play sessions together. As soon as
Michaelʼs “James Dean” gaze was an intimate
trademark of this incredible signing gorilla.
10 / Gorilla, Volume 26, No.1, 2005
the morning clean-up is finished, Koko asks
Penny to “have Mike in,” while Mike signs
“Mike out.” Once together, they chase and
tumble for about an hour before tiring.
Michael is very bright and eager to learn
new things. His vocabulary has grown to 20
signs in his first year and he has also learned
color sorting and various other concepts. It is
rewarding to see how much a gorilla, if given
the chance, enjoys using his mind. Sometimes
when Michael accomplishes a difficult task,
he will give me a big hug then proudly beat
his chest. Perhaps someday all captive
gorillas will enjoy such mind stimulation.
Even small tasks they perform in the wild
such as finding food and shelter have been
taken away from them in captivity.
Two of Michael’s favorite signs are
“chase” and “tickle.” If his human
companions could stand it, he would play
chase-tickle sun-up to sun-down. When I
finally tire of chasing and sign “no chase,” he
promptly flops into my lap and signs “tickle”
(an activity which also goes on for hours).
One of Michael’s greatest talents is
breaking things. Some days he is better at it
than others. One day not long ago, I was
constantly reprimanding him for breaking
various things. The most frequently
dismantled object was the bathroom scale. He
likes to take off the glass that magnifies the
numbers. After putting him in his room alone
several times for this mischief, I let him out
on “parole” which lasted all of five minutes.
When I disappeared from his sight, he
sneaked to the end of the hall where the scale
was located. I peered out of the kitchen and
saw him furtively prying the glass off. Then
he spotted me out of the corner of his eye and
madly began trying to put it back together.
The minute I shouted “Mike,” he grabbed
the pieces and brought them to me. He does
this with toys he wants me to fix.
Michael’s days aren’t spent entirely
inside the project trailer learning, playing
and getting into trouble. He spends a few
hours each day (weather permitting) as a
semi-free-roaming gorilla. One of his
favorite spots is a local park where we go
on weekdays when people are scarce. We
tramp through the woods and he climbs
trees like a champ. It is important that
gorillas have these times to be gorillas, for
we also study their behavior in natural
environments. On one of our outings, Mike
spotted a deer in the brush and was very
intrigued. For a moment neither moved;
they just stared at each other in a mutual
admiration. I teach Michael to be kind to
the animals surrounding his home (cows, pigs,
goats, etc.) and I don’t think he would harm them.
To end this essay on Michael, I will give a
sample of a conversation:
Penny holds Michael while Koko
signs “Smile” for the camera.
We go into Michael’s room to play.
Michael: Chase chase.
Ann: Chase who?
M: Mike.
I chase and catch him.
M: Tickle Mike.
Later he wanted to leave his room so he
grabbed my hand and led me to the door.
M: Key out.
I unlocked the door.
A: You open.
M: Open.
He opens the door and goes into the room next to
Koko’s. While we are both there, I tell Koko that if
she is good, I will give her some gum.
Koko: Good gum.
While I give it to her, Mike becomes jealous
and signs,
Mike: Candy Mike eat!
To learn more about Michael, please visit
www.koko.org/world/michael.html. You can
also view (and purchase) some of his
wonderful paintings. We are still working on
our newest book, Michael’s Dream which we
hope to print by the fall. This book will be
photo-rich – sharing the story of Michael’s
life and telling the readers about Michael’s
recollection of his mother being killed by
poachers in Africa. We will be sure to
announce to members when this book is
available.
Ndume at play rushes across his enclosure after batting
his gorilla-size ball. Notice cargo net in upper left.
His image captured during a moment of reflection.
Memorable Moments with Ndume
April 12, 2004 with Penny Patterson
Penny gives Ndume a green Mardi Gras necklace which he ignores.
(Koko’s is gold and green and she has been wearing it since she got it
in her present bag earlier in the morning.)
Ndume runs over after Koko gets a tamarind pod in a burlap sack
from Penny and hits up at Koko’s nest in the cargo net as he runs by.
Ndume pops apart the gold necklace that Penny gives him next. And
when Penny tries to give him a small purple one, he flinches. Then he
runs under the net and pushes up at Koko again.
Earlier Anthony, in Ndume’s presence, asked Penny why Ndume was
afraid of ropes and Penny said she didn’t know. Anthony said “Ask
him,” and Penny said we could give him choices of drawings and see
what he picks. Anthony, who has been playing with his own necklace,
makes a giant necklace out of many smaller ones.
Ndume: Purr* mine.
Penny: Want giant one?
Ndume: Purr.*
So Anthony makes another giant necklace using 5 smaller ones for
Ndume. Ndume leads Penny to the North side of the enclosure where
he accepts it and immediately takes one of the joints apart so it is no
longer in a loop. Then he runs at Koko who is sitting on a log and
returns to Penny and Anthony at the big gate.
P: Trade?
(No response.)
Penny hangs up Anthony’s large necklace on the big gate.
N: Choking.*# (Ndume makes a series of forced choking sounds.)
P: Did you choke on a rope?
N: Purr.*
P: Sorry to hear that. (Voice only.)
N: Sorry.
P: You’re a pretty amazing guy. (Voice only.)
N: Purr.* (Long.)
Koko: Purr.
P: Now we understand a little bit more about you.(Voice only.)
N: Purr.*
P: Anthony says “Yeah, that’s what happened.” (Voice only.)
N: Purr.*
Now Ndume comes over and takes the long necklace from the gate
and jiggles it and purrs.
N: Purr.*
Anthony moves closer and Ndume moves away. Anthony wraps his
necklace around his hands.
Ndume puts a strand over his head – not around his neck. He drapes it
ear-to-ear as Anthony did earlier. Ndume comes over wearing it across
the top of his head.
P: Just like Anthony. (Voice only.)
Koko is now also wearing hers the same same style over her head (the
gold part).
P: Anthony sends hugs and kisses. (Voice only.)
K: Kisses.*
Ndume bunches up his whole necklace and moves it from hand to hand
like a slinky.
Anthony models his long green necklace over his right shoulder and
signs “love.” Then he puts it over his left shoulder, and signs “love” and
once again over his right, signing “love.”
A: Long gorilla love you.
P: That’s very nice! (To Anthony, voice only.)
N: Purr.*
P: Koko would like this long gold one. I’ll give that to you sweetie.
K: Purr.*
Ndume regurgitates into his mouth and then coughs* several times as
Anthony plays cats in the cradle with the green necklace. Anthony had
me take some strands from his hands to mine in the fashion of the
game.
P: Ndume doesn’t want Anthony to have any problems. (Voice only.)
Ndume puts his left index finger to his left eye and draws it down his
cheek three times signing,
N: Cry, cry, cry.
Then Ndume turns his back to Anthony.
P: Oh honey (voice only.)
N: Purrs.*
Note: The crisscrosses of the bead strands in our hands bear a
resemblance to the pattern of the cargo nets in the enclosure. Ndume
has never climbed on them.
* Indicates a vocalization.
# Indicates a sign, gesture or
Gorilla, Volume 26, No.1, 2005 / 11
the gorilla foundation in the news
From art exhibitions to the dentist vist “heard round the world” Koko and the Gorilla Foundationʼs activities have been covered by the press,
Brian Narelle
Newspapers
Broadcast
The Tribune (India), 11/9/03. “English-Speaking Apes.” Article about
The Ellen Degeneres Show, NBC (National Syndication), 3/2/2004. Robin
Koko’s use of ASL and Kanzi’s use of lexigrams.
Williams discusses Koko.
Tri-Valley Herald (Fremont, CA), 11/14/03. “Open House at School
Koko and Robin Williams Pubic Service Announcement Television
for the Deaf Draws 1,000 Folks.” California School for the Deaf open
stations throughout the U.S. (with an audience of over 15 million people)
house, profiled Koko and her
aired our public service announceuse of ASL.
ment featuring Robin Williams
As reported on television, radio and in hundreds of
beginning October 2003.
The Courier-Journal (Louisville,
newspapers, magazines and websites throughout the world,
Good Morning America (WABC)
KY), 12/17/03. “Slicing, Shredding
on August 8th Koko had a “dentist visit.”
8/9/04. A live interview with Dr.
are Keys to Brussels Sprouts.” An
After Koko began explaining her discomfort, pointing to a
Patterson and Dr. Fred Mihm
article about cooking Brussels
molar on her upper left, Penny devised a pain chart offering Koko
(Koko’s anesthesiologist) covers
sprouts that mentions Koko’s
the details of Koko’s dental
a scale from one to ten. A dental appointment was made when
love of this vegetable.
work and thorough physical
Koko indicated that an operation was needed as opposed to more
PR Newswire (San Francisco,
exam.
medicine. And because anesthesia would be involved, her
CA), 1/15/04. “Bay Area Law
personal veterinarian, Dr. John Ochsenreiter, used this
Firms Go Bananas for Charity
World Wide Web
with the 2003 Koko Challenge.”
opportunity to organize a head-to-toe exam.
Stanford Report 8/18/04. Article
United Way of the Bay Area
The team came to Koko Sunday, August 8, bringing
entitled “When Koko the gorilla
announced the 2003 Koko
needs a checkup, Stanford docs
portable X-ray, ultrasound, and echocardiogram machines.
Challenge Award Winners,
swing into action. Physicians
After almost five hours of tests, including a colonoscopy,
recognizing law firms raising over
work side-by-side with vetergynecological exam, dental work,
$1 million dollars for charitable
inarians to give Koko a complete
radiography of the thorax, abdomen,
causes.
medical exam.”
extremities
and
skull,
an
Advance-Titan (Oshkosh, WI),
The Yahoo! Search Finds of
echocardiogram, an orthopedic and
2/4/04. “The Beginning of the
the Year (UK) 1/05 declared
End is Near.” A comical article in
dermatologic exam, bronchoscopy,
www.koko.org one of their “Top
the University of Wisconsin
Ten” websites of the year.
and an ENT exam, doctors
newspaper mentions Koko and
pronounced her fit. The only
Books
her knowledge of sign language.
significant findings were periodontal
The Great Ape Project Census,
The Almanac (Menlo Park,
related and were successfully treated
2003. Published by Great Ape
Atherton, Portola Valley and
by
Dr.
Bob
Turner
DDS,
Dr.
Joe
A.
Provines
DMD,
and
Dr.
Project (GAP) Books. Penny
Woodside, CA), 3/17/04. “Great
Patterson contributed a chapter.
Merhan Fotovatjah DDS.
Apes Get Along Great.” Reviews
Encyclopedia
of Animal
Penny was at her side when the anesthesiologists (Dr.
PSA and Robin Williams’ parBehavior,
2004.
Edited by
Fred Mihm, Dr. Ethan Jackson and Dr. Parag Mathur)
ticipation.
biologist Marc Bekoff, published
prepared to put her under in the morning and was there to
“Rhymes with Orange” (King
by Greenwood Press contains an
calm her nerves throughout the procedure. Penny made sure
Features Syndicate, Inc.)
entry by the Gorilla Foundation
4/25/2004. Comic strip by
about Koko.
that between herself and caregivers Jill Firstenberg, Lucas
Hilary Price mentions Koko.
Slavik and Tierra Wilson, Koko’s hand was held during the
Periodicals
The New York Times/Science
entire duration of anesthesia.
Saveur (New York, NY),
Times & newspapers throughKoko insisted on meeting her specialists before she went
November 2003. “Stink balls:
out the world (AP), 8/9/04. “In
under anesthesia. They crowded around her, and Koko, who
they smell strong but taste good”
Pain, Gorilla Puts In a Call To the
by Kelly Alexander. Includes an
plays
favorites,
asked
one
woman
wearing
orange
to
come
Dentist” Discussed Koko’s dental
anecdote about Koko and her
closer. The woman handed her a business card, which Koko
procedure.
affinity for Brussels sprouts.
later politely tasted and returned. Koko was excited and eager
Benson’s View (Arizona Republic)
LAS News (Urbana, Illinois), Fall
for her tooth to be fixed. This very thorough examination is a
8/10/2004. Political cartoonist Steve
2003. “The Caretaker,” by Scott
revitalization for the project and a good indication that Project
Benson combined Koko’s dental
Spilky. This University of Illinois
Koko will continue to be the longest uninterrupted
work story with the presidential
alumni magazine featured Dr.
campaign.
interspecies communication study for many years to come.
Penny Patterson and her work
with Koko.
12 / Gorilla, Volume 26, No.1, 2005
New “We Are All Great Apes”
by television, in magazines and on the world wide web.
Santa Clara Valley Life (Los Gatos), CA March 2004. “White Ginger
Gallery.” Highlighted “An Exhibition of Paintings by Lowland
Gorillas” which featured Koko and Michael’s artwork.
Natural History (The American Museum of Natural History, New
York, NY), February 2005. A reply by Dr. Penny Patterson to an
article entitled “A Telling Difference” by Stephen R. Anderson based
on his book “Docter Dolittle’s Dilemma.” Dr Patterson corrected his
misunderstanding of critical distinctions between the grammars of
spoken English and American Sign Language (ASL) and presented
examples of Koko’s use of syntax.
Santa Clara Magazine, Spring 2005. “The Koko Connection,” by
Victoria Hendel De La O. The adventures of USC senior Tierra
Wilson as a caregiver at the Gorilla Foundation.
Events
Dr. Jane Goodall Roots and Shoots Lecture at Unity High
School, Oakland CA, 4/19/2004. Along with several other local
environmental organizations, the Gorilla Foundation participated
in this educational forum.
Gorilla Foundation presents at Hillside Elementary School,
Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, 3/15/2004. Volunteer Alison Carlson
presented to 120 third-graders.
Sign Modulations of Cross-Fostered Chimpanzees and Gorillas,
3/28-30/2004 at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary
Anthropology (Leipzig, Germany). Valerie Chalcraft, PhD.,
represented the Gorilla Foundation presenting a study that analyzed
video records of one chimpanzee cross-fostered by humans in a human
environment and exposed to American Sign Language (ASL).
african gorilla update
Great Apes Up Against Great Odds: Mankind’s closest animal
relatives, the great apes, are facing extinction and need urgent action
to ensure their survival, Kenyan environmentalist Richard Leakey
said. Leakey said the combined threat from human population
expansion, poaching for bushmeat and uncontrolled logging is so
great that gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans should have
large tracts of land fenced off for their safety. Experience in Kenya,
where Leakey was head of the Wildlife Service from 1989 to 1994,
showed that fencing an area dramatically reduced the population
pressure and poaching. Dr Leakey says there need not be any conflict
between saving wildlife and alleviating the poverty of the people. He
is patron of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Great
Apes Survival Project (GrASP), and was the guest speaker at a fundraising dinner in London on 24 May 2004. The project is appealing
for $25m over three years.
Mountain Gorilla Population Growth: A 2004 census of the
Virunga Volcano mountain gorillas indicates that the world
population of mountain gorillas is about 700, a 17 percent
population increase since 1989, and since the census, IGCP has
documented two additional mountain gorilla births.
Source: BBC News; www.berggorilla.de
School Presentations for Grades K-12
In these times of decreased school budgets, poor student results, frazzled
teachers and inconclusive analyses of the problem, everyone seems to agree
on one thing: if students were sufficiently motivated to learn, the problem
would be greatly diminished. Project Koko offers teachers a key to solving
this problem at the classroom level — exposure to Koko clearly motivates
students to learn, and the teachers can simply ride this motivational wave to
help engender self-motivation for life-long learning in their students.
This year, we created a resource for teachers in the form of a multi-media
(Powerpoint) presentation for grades K-12, called “We Are All Great
Apes,” that introduces students to Koko. Through Koko they learn about
gorillas and other great apes and the similarities and differences between
them and the human great ape. The presentation is interactive (e.g. they
learn some of Koko’s signs) and concludes with the problems facing our
fellow great ape species, and how they can help (the “why” is already
provided by Koko). The Gorilla Foundation has now given this presentation
to a handful of K-12 classes in California (such as the California School for
the Deaf and the West Portal Elementary School in San Francisco) and is
working on refining it with the help of volunteers at Santa Clara University
so that it can be distributed to teachers nation-wide in the form of a selfcontained CD (or Website, for schools with fast Internet connections)
to enable teachers to use the presentation at strategic points in their
course plan.
Our upcoming education section on www.koko.org.
More Educational Opportunities on Koko.org
In the coming year, with your support, we look forward to bringing you
more compelling and easy-to-access educational content on Koko.org. Look
for the launch of a new central Education section for both teachers and
students, multimedia presentations online, a sign language video tutorial, and
special conservation-through-communication challenge projects to create
more synergy between our US and African-based outreach programs. And
we’ll be interacting more with teachers through our KokoEducator
eNewsLetters.
Together, we can help both Koko’s species and our own through
educational outreach.
Koko a Main Focus of
National History Day Projects
One of the themes for the 2005 National History Day Contest, which
schools across the country participate in by assigning special projects
to their students, is Communication in History: The Key to
Understanding. Naturally, a number of students decided to make Koko
the focus of their communication in history projects. This led to a slew
of emails and calls to the Gorilla Foundation asking specific questions
about the historical impact of Project Koko. After creating many
individualized responses, the Gorilla Foundation created a preliminary
summary document entitled: “The Significance of Project Koko to
Humanity” to give the students some leads to research and write about.
And since this question comes up often — independently of National
History Day— we decided to make some of the answers available on
our website, at: www.koko.org/friends/significance.html
Gorilla, Volume 26, No.1, 2005 / 13
letters
Hi!
Enclosed you will find letters that the sixth
grade students here at Lebanon Middle
School have written to Koko, Penny, and Ron
as well as some pictures that they drew. This
project on behalf of Koko and the Foundation
has involved approximately 265 students. In a
relatively short period of time we were able to
collect a total of $250, which we have
enclosed for the Gorilla Foundation.
We were all amazed with how fascinated
the students were with Koko. Students that
did not typically like to “write” were pouring
their hearts out to her in their letters.
Comments near our Koko bulletin board in
the hallway could be heard like,
“There’s Koko! She’s so awesome. I
hope she gets the preserve in Maui.”
I would just like to say that on behalf
of all of us here, we’d like to thank each
of you at the Foundation: Koko, Penny,
Ron and the countless others that have
made Koko’s story real for people
everywhere. Koko’s story has given us
inspiration and enjoyment for a
wonderful literature unit.
In my classroom I have had the
opportunity to include discussion on
many emotions: love, gentleness,
compassion, and grief – emotions that
are often times particularly difficult for
my students to express. In addition to
this, we’ve been able to expand our
studies to the introduction of sign
language and how it has enabled not
only people, but also animals to express their
thoughts and feelings.
Although our monetary contribution is
small, it is sent with support, best wishes,
love and respect for all you have done and
continue to do. Your involvement with Koko,
Michael and Ndume has heightened our
awareness and inspired us to see gorillas in a
new way. May we, in some small way, serve
as encouragement to all of you at the
Foundation.
–Lebanon Middle School
Sixth Grade English Classes
Lebanon, IN
14 / Gorilla, Volume 26, No.1, 2005
Dear Koko,
My name is Tanya. I am 30 years old and
grew up knowing who you are. More than
almost anyone else, you have inspired the
deepest wondering in my life. You are one of
the reasons I know in my heart, without a
doubt, that all life is related in spiritual ways
as well as physical ones.
Some humans do not think that we humans
are related to apes. But they just don’t know
how special you are. It is an honor to
acknowledge my kinship with you, Koko.
–Tanya Osterman
Las Vegas, NV
Dear Penny,
I just wanted to let you know that your
interactions and experiences with Koko have
thoroughly amazed me. So much in fact that I, in
my studies as a philosophy major at Whitman
College, wrote my thesis on the topic of animal
cognition, and incorporated much of your
writings as proofs. The paper serves as a rebuttal
to Descartes’ philosophy stripping animals of
any possibility of cognizant thought. Kanzi, and
that team’s work with the most basic principles
of language also helped to lay the foundation for
the paper, while your findings using Ameslan
served as more solid evidence. Thanks for all of
the ground breaking work you and Koko have
done. Your books are wonderful. Keep it up.
–Jared Burns
Walla Walla, WA
Whatʼs the ASL sign for “Cool?”
We have been studying Koko and the work
of Dr. Patterson for the past couple of months
(my students can’t get ENOUGH of this
topic) and as a closing wrap up project, we
will have a booth showcasing this topic at our
school’s Arts and Science Fair. We would like
to have a section of this booth dedicated to
how we can help the Foundation, Koko, and
the work of Dr. Patterson. We were thinking
of having a petition that people can sign to
help gorillas in their natural habitat, but we
also wanted to have something that we could
give to Koko and/or the Foundation itself. Do
you have any ideas? These children are so
Ndume, master of all he surveys.
motivated and excited! We wait with
anticipation of your reply.
–Leslie Greene and the Students at the
Children’s Workshop School
New York, NY
And our reply was quick in coming. The
Gorilla Foundation is especially delighted to
supply information and materials to any
student group with this much enthusiasm.
Dear Ms. Patterson,
I have been interested in your work with
Koko, Michael, and Ndume since I was seven
years old, and I received the book Koko’s
Kitten, all about Koko. I thought that it was
amazing that it was possible to talk to
animals.
This led me to read more books
about...Koko throughout my childhood, and
this led to me researching a very in-depth
presentation about Koko in fourth grade.
Now I am a ninth grader at Champlain
Valley Union High School in Hinesburg,
Vermont, and I have an assignment to write
a letter of good, to someone who has
influenced us in a positive way, and while I
was running through the list of people I
could possibly write to (parents, sister,
grandparents, friends…), I did not like any
of my possibilities. Therefore, I started to
think of more well known people that I had
not necessarily met, but had been inspired
by, and I ended up deciding to write to you.
I remembered from my fourth grade
research all of the amazing work that you
have done, and how fascinated I was with it,
that I sent my very meager savings that
consisted of approximately $20 to the
foundation. At the time I thought that it was a
fortune. And that I would be helping Koko get
her new home in Maui!
I would really like to thank you for inspiring
me. Your work with gorillas has not only
educated me about how we need to save our
environment, and protect all living creatures on
it, but your work has also shown me many other
things as well. When you began your research,
not many people supported it, and were
generally pretty skeptical about it. In spite
of this, you persevered, and ended up
doing amazing things. This inspired me to
stick with what I feel is right, to take risks
and to try new things. I also learned that I
can make a difference in the world, even
though at times, I seem very young and
insignificant.
Furthermore, through your hard
work, you have been able to change
many previously believed scientific
thoughts, such as that only people can
communicate through language. It is
remarkable that you have been able to
do so much. This has moved me to work
diligently and try hard at whatever I
would like to do, and the work will
eventually pay off.
You are incredibly lucky because you
have a wonderful job, and you obviously
love what you do. That fact probably
contributes to your success, and I hope that
I will have as much passion for my job
when I get older as you do for your job. It
really gives me hope, that in a world of
overworked, stressed people, you can still
do something that you love, and be happy
with your profession. In short, I feel that
you are an amazing person, and all that
you have done has really inspired me.
Thank you so much.
Sarah Flickinger
Hinesburg, VT
Leave a legacy for gorillas
Raphael “Ray” Antone Martin, 73, of
Honolulu died May 10, 2004 in Honolulu. A
retired Lt. Col. in the United States Air
Force, he worked as operations manager at
Ala Moana Shopping Center for seven years
followed by many years of managing
various commercial properties.
He is survived by wife Sandra; sons
Alexis, Russell, Nathan; daughters Melissa,
Tracy, Ivy; step-daughters Debra, Regina;
16 grandchildren, 4 great-grand children; 2
sisters, Joan (Sister Jacinta) and Natalie
Cabral.
Raphael donated his body to University
of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of
Medicine. Donations in his memory should
be made to The Gorilla Foundation, P.O.
Box 620530, Woodside, CA 94062
Ray Martin was a wonderful longtime
friend of the Gorilla Foundation who, with
his wife Sandra, became affectionately
known as Uncle Ray and Auntie Sandy
because of their vital role in focusing us on
Hawaii as a welcoming and appropriate
place for a gorilla preserve. They were
instrumental in helping the vision become a
reality when Ray organized the first gorilla
art exhibit at the Ala Moana Shopping
Center in Honolulu. Viewing these amazing
paintings, Maizie Sanford became an
enthusiastic supporter and made our site on
Maui available.
Ku b i
the proud and well-loved patriarch of
the San Francisco Zoo’s Gorilla World
exhibit, and Koko’s brother, died May
18, 2004, 11 days after undergoing
unprecedented surgery by a team of
UCSF doctors who removed his
diseased right lung and attracted
worldwide attention in the process.
The 29-year-old silverback Western
lowland gorilla had suffered from
chronic bronchitis and recurring pneumonia before his May 7 surgery. An
abscess had developed causing
massive internal bleeding. At his
passing Gorilla World’s four females
Photo by Joanne Tanner
were lined up, staring through the
mesh that separated their outdoor cage from their lone male companion, sequestered indoors.
Bwang, Kubi’s mate of 22 years, tossed pieces of food in his direction, trying to make him move.
Although zoo officials made sure that none of the females saw Kubi’s body being removed,
they kept smelling the cage afterward and staring at the spot where he had died. Kubi’s 5year-old daughter, Nneka, repeatedly vocalized her distress, while older females Zura and
Pogo tried to comfort her. Kubi, whose full name was Mkubwa (Swahili for big and strong)
was an exceptionally gentle father to Nneka and his two sons, 15-year-old Shango and 10year-old Barney, who both live in other zoos. And after more than two decades of life with
Bwang, he was just as smitten as when they’d first met.
Over the years, many individuals have
chosen to make a bequest or other form of
planned gift to the Gorilla Foundation. By
leaving a legacy, these thoughtful donors
help to ensure that something they have
cared about most deeply during their
lifetime will endure.
To honor these individuals for their
generosity, the Gorilla Foundation has
established its Legacy Society.
The Foundation lists members of the
Legacy Society in its newsletter and other
publications where donors are acknowledged (unless the donor prefers to remain
anonymous). All members receive a
commemorative certificate and are invited
to special events.
To join this group, just advise us that you
have remembered the Foundation in your
Estate Plan in one of the following ways: as
a beneficiary of a bequest through a Will
or Trust; as a beneficiary on a life insurance
policy; as a beneficiary in an IRA or bank
account; or as a bene-ficiary of a Charitable
Remainer Trust.
To advise us of your
intention, or if you
have questions, please
call Lorraine Slater,
Development Director,
at (650) 216-6450 x15.
Legacy Society kits are
available.
Thank you for caring!
Membership
has its
rewards
Ndume and all
gorillas benefit from
your generosity.
The Gorilla Foundation (TGF) recently sent
out its official membership renewal notices.
We hope you will respond – the gorillas are
counting on you!
The mainstay of TGF has always been its
loyal members, who today number 45,000
strong. Since the Foundation does not
receive federal, state or city funding, and
foundation grants have been shrinking as
the economy contracts, that support is
more precious than ever.
The loyalty of our members through the
official card-carrying membership program
gives us the strength to fight for the cause
we all believe in.
And membership does have its rewards!
Members are entitled to receive the journal
Gorilla and Gorilla Talk newsletter and special
merchandise discounts at KokoMart. But most
importantly, you will receive the satisfaction of
knowing your dues benefit Koko and Ndume
and help support gorilla studies, care,
conservation and education.
Thank you so much for your support!
Gorilla, Volume 26, No.1, 2005 / 15
In-Kind Donations
Many thanks to the following businesses and
individuals for their generous support.
Produce, Juices and Gorilla Treats:
Planet Organics; Roberts Grocery (Woodside);
Whole Foods (Palo Alto and Redwood City)
Equipment and Software: Apple Computer,
FileMaker, Inc.; Inverness Medical Innovations
(Clear Blue Easy); LW Scientific; Netopia
Software; Quidel Corporation
Professional Services:
Joaquin Alvarado (San Francisco State
University); Maxx Judd, Keith Mitchell,
Dianna Williamson, Terry Zimmerman (Apple
Learning Interchange); Ivan Rothman (Bingham
McCutchen LLP); Penni Bradshaw (Constangy,
Brooks and Smith, LLP); Ian Carroll, MD
(Clinical Microbiology and Virology Laboratory
at Stanford Hospital and Clinics); Aaron de
Berry; Allan Nance (EnableMail/Mansell
Group); Rick Koski (Far Above Average IT);
Johnson and Dugan Insurance Services; Amanda
J.S. Kaufmann; Amelia Kinkaid; Susan Lutter;
Danny Marti (Kilpatrick Stockton LLP); Bettina
McAdoo, MD; Fred Mihm, MD; Alex Neuhold;
John Ochsenreiter, DVM; J. Joseph Prendergast;
Joseph A. Regezi, DDS, MS; Gabby Reiter;
Tony Rose; Annette Salinger, MD; Russell
Skibsted; JohnPaul Slater; Gary Epting and Janet
Fouts (Tatu.com); Melanie King & Andrew
Reitter (Tandberg Videoconferencing Units);
Robert Turner, DDS; Marta Williams; Deborah
Kelly (Boiron USA)
Additional In-Kind: Pamela Bouchard (Tender
Care Veterinary); Dave Costello (Cell Roberts);
Michael Goshey; Patty Hoaglund, Susan Horne
(Riverdeep LTD); Jack Horton (Sun Microsystems); Tom and Marilyn Piggott; Malinda
Zeilinger
Special Thanks: Koko’s Medical Team
(Aug. 8, 2004 procedure); Dr. Phillip Bellamy,
DVM; Dr. Nikolas Blevins, MD; Gary Cantu;
Dr. Bertha Chen, MD; Dr. Jim Faix, MD;
Mehran Fotovatjah, DDS; Joe Gorczyca;
Dr. Ethan Jackson, MD; Dr. Jim Koch, MD;
Dr. David Lang, MD; Dr. Parag Mathur, MD;
Dr. Fred Mihm, MD; Dr. Joe Provines, DMD;
Dr. Sam Silverman, DVM; Robert Turner, DDS
Koko plays the keyboard donated by Tom and Marilyn Piggott.
Join us as an A.P.E. participant!
As an A.P.E. (Automatic Pledge Enrollment) participant you will help us reduce our
costs and let us know we can count on you by authorizing the deduction of regular monthly
contributions directly from your credit card.
Benefits:
• You will no longer receive renewal notices by mail – saving trees, postage and labor.
• Your monthly contribution will be automatically deducted from your account and your
monthly statement will serve as your record.
• You will be issued a receipt at the end of the year for your total annual contribution.
Your support through monthly giving will allow us to devote more of each dollar to the
important projects of interspecies communication, global awareness and education,
completion of our sanctuary in Maui and ending the illegal killing of gorillas in Africa.
To sign up, just call 800-634-6273.
Thank you for supporting the Gorilla Foundation/Koko.org.
The Gorilla Foundation / koko.org
Box 620530
Woodside, CA 94062-0530
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PORTLAND, OR
PERMIT #2160