大猩猩保護機構The Gorilla Foundation(TGF)的官方推特于6月20日發布一則消息:西部低地大猩猩Koko于睡夢中安詳離世,終年46歲。
圖:The Gorilla Foundation 官方聲明
“Koko — the gorilla known for her extraordinary mastery of sign language, and as the primary ambassador for her endangered species — passed away yesterday morning in her sleep at the age of 46. ”“Koko作為(西部低地大猩猩)瀕危物種的代表,以她卓越的手語能力而著名。她于昨天(6月20日)清晨在睡夢中離世。”Koko是誰1971年7月4日,Koko出生在舊金山動物園。因為恰逢美國國慶日,她被取名為“hanabi-ko”,意為“煙花的孩子”。
Koko, the Westland Lowland Gorilla, was born in the San Francisco Zoo on July 4, 1971. Koko was named “Hanabi-Ko”, which means “fireworks child” in English, due to her birth coinciding with the American Independence Day.
圖:帕特森博士與Koko
Koko有多厲害1.KoKo在語言學習方面極具天賦。
根據《時代》雜志于1975年的報道:
After three years of training, Koko could correctly sign more than a hundred and seventy words. Later, she could sign more than a thousand.經過三年的訓練,Koko可以使用手語正确表達170餘個英文單詞,後來這個數量超過1000個。2.兩次登上《國家地理雜志》(National Geographic)封面
憑借着“開挂”般的智慧,Koko在7歲和14歲分别登上了《國家地理雜志》(National Geographic)的封面,成為當紅一時的“明猩”。《國家地理雜志》也在Koko去世後進行了報道:
“National Geographic magazine featured Koko of its cover twice: First in October 1978, with a photograph that she took of herself in a mirror (perhaps making it one of the earliest prominent animal selfies). She also appeared a second time on the cover in January 1985, in a story about Koko and her pet kitten.”
圖:《國家地理雜志》官方Instagram
3.心靈導師
Koko的經曆讓外國網友倍受激勵,她去世後,網友紛紛在TGF的官方社交賬号下留言:
"在我成長的過程中,她(Koko)幫助我了解什麼是愛,手語和同情心。謝謝你,koko,我們将永遠愛你。"
"不!!!聽到這個消息心都碎了!你是我實現夢想的精神動力。你教會我們很多關于人性的道理。安息吧!美麗的koko,你永遠在我們心裡!“
RIP KokoKoko曾這樣形容她眼中的死亡(death)——“舒适的洞裡再見(comfortable hole bye)”。
如今Koko找到了那個“舒适的洞”,希望她能像2017年過生日時一樣,永遠無憂無慮。
Farewell, Koko!
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