Culture & Ethics
Koko Wants to Save the Planet
Koko, the sign-language-talking gorilla, wants to save the earth. From the Daily Mail story:
Koko was filmed delivering a 38-word bulletin about how ‘stupid’ mankind is harming the Earth.
In the 60-second video, the 44-year-old great ape, which has been learning sign language since she was one, said: ‘I am gorilla, I am flowers, animals. I am Nature. Koko love man. Earth Koko love.
Wow, so Koko supports the Paris (non) treaty to stop climate change? Not quite:
A spokesman for The Gorilla Foundation: ‘Because of her unique ability to communicate with humans in sign language, Koko is a natural ambassador for endangered species.
‘We presented her with a script drafted by NOE and allowed her to improvise during a series of brief daily video discussion sessions. The result was edited from a number of separate takes, for brevity and continuity.’ The spokesman said Koko had to learn ‘a few new signs’ for the video including ‘protect’ and ‘nature’.
Koko is trained to use sign language and doesn’t understand the meaning of what she has been taught to communicate. She is oblivious to the concepts of climate change, pollution, politics, and “the earth.” Rather, the gorilla is being used as a shill to speak her owner’s sentiments.
Quick, PETA! Time to protest! They are using a gorilla as a trained monkey.
Image credit: Elrond (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons.