Koko The Gorilla Mourning The Loss Of Robin Williams [View all]

[Fearless]

In 2001, Robin Williams met Koko, the gorilla who communicates in sign language, at The Gorilla Foundation in Woodside, Calif. The two immediately became friends.



“After the first call, Koko came to Dr. Patterson with an inquiring look on her face. Dr. Patterson explained that ‘we have lost a dear friend, Robin Williams.’”

“Koko was quiet and looked very thoughtful,” a spokesperson for the Gorilla Foundation said in a press release emailed in response to an inquiry from BuzzFeed...

“Koko became very somber, with her head bowed and her lip quivering.”



More photos at link: http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/these-photos-of-koko-the-gorilla-mourning-the-loss-of-robin?bffb

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EDIT TO ADD: (And I can't believe I even have to add this!) Think about this anyone who thinks that it's abusive to tell a gorilla that someone they care about has died... Koko recognizes English. She is communicated with in English. SHE signs in American sign language to communicate back to humans. Do you really, REALLY think that an animal that can understand English and can communicate in return with THOUGHTFUL responses and not randomness isn't capable of understanding death and loss?? AND doesn't have the right to know when someone they cared about has died? If so, we're having a MUCH different discussion here. Likewise gorillas are not children. I don't even know why I should have to say this.