If You Think Koko the Gorilla Is Our Environmental Advocate, I’ve Got a Bridge to Sell You

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There’s a video making the rounds right now featuring Koko the gorilla seemingly lecturing us about our planet. Koko is famous for learning a significant number of hand signs based on a modified version of American Sign Language, and she’s captured the hearts of many. The notion of communicating with animals is fascinating, and Koko has certainly become a beloved figure.

This video has racked up over 11 million views and has been shared more than 200,000 times on Upworthy’s page alone. Their introduction to the video claims, “Koko, the gorilla that can communicate with humans, was recently made aware of the issues at the world’s climate summit. Edited for brevity and continuity, this is how she responded.”

Koko is indeed a stunning animal, and it is impressive that she can “speak” with her trainers using sign language. It’s true that humanity is doing a remarkable job of harming the environment. But let’s be real—suggesting that Koko can comprehend the complexities of environmental destruction is a bit far-fetched, don’t you think? Did someone show her images of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? Explain global warming? How could she possibly grasp the need to fix our planet, even if that need is undeniably real?

I am gorilla. I am flowers… animals… I am nature. Man Koko love. Earth Koko love. But man… silly. Silly! Koko sorry. Koko cry. Time hurry! Fix earth. Help earth. Hurry! Protect earth. Nature see you. Thank you.

An advertising agency called Marcel collaborated with environmental group Noe and The Gorilla Foundation to create the ad aimed at world leaders during COP21, the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in France in early December. The video supports a petition demanding that “the preservation of biodiversity must be included in the Paris Agreement.” It’s a captivating ad, but we must recognize that Koko isn’t genuinely delivering a message about our planet’s condition, right? Edited for brevity and continuity? Nope, that’s not the case.

It’s not that Koko doesn’t have more charm than some political candidates (and better hair), but framing the video this way is incredibly misleading. It’s a powerful ad that resonates emotionally, and yes, we need to start caring more about our environment. However, Koko is being used as a prop in this scenario—that’s the reality.

As one science writer explained in a thoughtful piece for Slate about ape language research, “like all fairy tales, the one about talking apes is partly make-believe. No matter how much we wish to project ourselves onto them, they are still apes—albeit very intelligent ones.”

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In summary, while Koko the gorilla’s video is a touching ad that aims to raise awareness about environmental issues, it’s important to remember that she isn’t actually conveying a message about climate change—she’s simply being featured in a clever campaign.