KoKo: Conversations with a Gorilla

The photo above was actually taken by Koko in 1978 (when she was just 7 years old), and the photo she's snapping is of herself aiming the camera at the mirror. The photo was of such high quality and significance that it was chosen to be the cover photo for the October 1978 National Geographic article featuring Koko:

Twenty seven years later, the American Society of Magazine Editors have selected its appearance on National Geographic to be one of the top 40 magazine covers of the last 40 years (1965-2005). You can read the details about the selection and the other winners on the Magazine Publishers of America website.

Note that this photo alone dispelled two major misconceptions about gorillas: 1) that they were incapable of using tools, and 2) that they were not capable of recognizing themsleves in a mirror — a cognitive ability that is supposed to be necessary for self-awareness. Since then, Koko has gone on to dispell many other myths about gorillas (and other great apes) such as showing how gentle they can be with humans and even tiny kittens, that they are capable of the full range of human emotions, that they can empathize with others, have a sense of humor, can be embarassed, and that they can feel and express both physical and emotional pain (eg, grieving for her kitten) and deep love and a sense of kinship across species (eg, with Dr. Penny Patterson). Moreover, they are highly intelligent and can use technology (eg, VCRs, remote controls, computers, phones) — and even language (sign language in Koko's case) — in both conventional and innovative ways.

And Koko, it turns out, is not that unique as a gorilla — her male companions Michael (who passed away in 2000) and Ndume exhibit all of the same capabilities though with their own personal strengths and weaknesses. So in a sense, the above photo of Koko taking her self-portrait can also be viewed as a photo of a gorilla taking "our" photo in that it forces us to take a new look at ourselves and makes it practically impossible to turn away.