Koko the gorilla falls in love with some kittens
BY READERS DIGEST
1st Jan 2015 Animals & Pets
Koko the gorilla is famed for acquiring language via a large number of hand signs. Having signed her love for babies, her minders decided to get her some kittens, they all fall in love instantly.
To celebrate Koko's 44th birthday, she was allowed to pick two kittens from a litter: Ms Gray, a blue-gray tabby, and Ms Black, a brown tabby.
Koko was introduced to the Kittens and fell in love instantly. The kittens in return were very affectionate towards the western lowland gorilla.
In a touching moment, Koko signs the words 'cat' and 'baby', indicating her understanding of the wee creatures. Her grasp of language is incredible.
Having been exposed to the spoken word since a very young age, she understands approximately 2,000 spoken English words and is capable of signing more than 1,000.
It's not the first time Koko has kept pets, she was given a cat in 1983. When this cat was replaced with a stuffed animal, she refused to play with is, and continued to sign 'sad'.
In 1985, she picked out two new kittens and named them Lipstick and Smokey. When asked the why she chose the name Lipstick 'Lipstick', Koko responded 'Lips lipstick'. The kitten indeed had a pink mouth.
