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If You Think Koko the Gorilla Is Advising Us on Environmental Issues, I Have a Bridge to Sell You
There’s a video making the rounds online featuring Koko the gorilla seemingly delivering a message about our planet’s plight. Koko, renowned for her ability to communicate through a version of American Sign Language, has captured the hearts of many animal lovers. The clip has garnered over 11 million views and been shared extensively on social media, including more than 200,000 times on Upworthy. The intro to the video reads, “Koko, the gorilla who can communicate with humans, was recently informed about the stakes during the world’s climate summit. Edited for brevity and continuity, this is how she responded.”
Koko is undeniably a beautiful creature, and her capacity to sign is truly impressive. It’s hard to ignore the fact that humans are significantly harming the environment. However, suggesting that Koko grasps complex ideas like climate change is a stretch, isn’t it? Did someone explain to her about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? Or did they communicate the concept of global warming? How could she possibly understand the necessity of environmental repair, even if it’s absolutely true?
“I am gorilla. I am flowers… animals… I am nature. Man Koko love. Earth Koko love. But man… foolish. Foolish! Koko sorry. Koko cry. Time hurry! Fix earth. Help earth. Hurry! Protect earth. Nature see you. Thank you.”
This poignant video, crafted by the advertising agency Marcel in collaboration with the environmental organization Noe and The Gorilla Foundation, was aimed at world leaders attending COP21, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in France last December. It supports a petition urging for the “preservation of biodiversity” to be included in the Paris Agreement. While it’s an impactful message, we must recognize that Koko isn’t genuinely advocating for our planet—she’s being used as a figurehead.
As a science writer noted in a detailed article for Slate about ape language studies, “like all fairy tales, the tale of talking apes is partly make-believe. No matter how much we wish to see ourselves in them, they remain apes—albeit highly intelligent ones.”
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In summary, while Koko the gorilla brings charm and a unique perspective, attributing deep environmental insights to her is misleading. Instead, we should focus on the real message of the ad about our urgent need to protect the planet.