Koko was a gorilla who some American ethologists had trained to communicate with people using sign language.
Though very bright, Koko was going through a very trying period, to the point where biologists thought she could have developed a major case of melancholy.
In addition to trying to locate Koko a new companion, the researchers also wanted to observe how he interacted with others.
As a gorilla who had really learnt sign language and was able to interact with us, Koko was the ideal example to determine whether or not there were true cognitive limits between our species. Then, wanting to engage with Robin Williams, who is mostly recognized for being a fantastic comic, in a natural way, as though he were an ordinary person in need of assistance, they asked him if he would like to spend a few hours in Koko's company.
Williams was skeptical about the meeting's format, but he accepted right away. He actually didn't know much about monkeys and thought he was too ungainly to get along with the animal in a calm manner.
But when Williams finally stood in front of the gorilla, he experienced a true revelation.
Williams came to the realization that engaging with Koko was similar to interacting with a very inquisitive youngster when he let the animal get to know him on its own.Gradually, the gorilla's curiosity about the visitor grew to the point where he was enthralled by his spectacles and desired to view him through his unusual glass eyes.
To Williams' surprise, Koko started chatting to him shortly after, proposing games, asking surprisingly insightful questions, and even utilizing sign language. The two even began playing, laughing, tickling, and sharing some of their life stories in a matter of minutes.
The researchers, who asked Koko to characterize the actor with a selected term, were taken aback by this. "Friend" was the word the gorilla used. That interaction positively unsettled Williams, particularly when he found out he'd made a gorilla laugh who was on the verge of a depressive breakdown from loneliness.
After that, he made the decision to oppose animal experimentation and support the conservation of protected animals by traveling to see Koko whenever possible and working with him on advertisements.
Koko and the American actor forged a relationship so strong that it endured after Williams passed away in 2014. Indeed, upon hearing of his friend's passing, the elderly gorilla asked his teachers if he may cry, and for a few days he stayed silent and introspective, his lips quivering with grief.
At the age of 46, Koko passed away in 2018, four years later. It is regarded as one of the most significant documents in the annals of scientific inquiry today.