Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Koko
I really enjoyed watching the movie about Koko. I thought it was interesting on how they taught her to sign and understand what she was saying. Since Penny and Koko have been together since she was one, I think she thinks of herself as a human. I never thought about Penny not letting Koko fulfill her life as a gorilla with the idea of reverence for life until someone mentioned it in class. Penny thinks she is doing a great thing by civilizing Koko, when in reality it makes her feel different from other gorillas, and she doesn't completely fit in with humans either. I don't think she necessarily belongs in a zoo, but where does she belong? I think the reason Koko is having trouble finding a mate and having children is due to the fact that she has trouble communicating with her own kind. She is much more advanced than other gorillas so they may not see her as one of them. I think it would be very interesting to see if Koko would teach her offspring how to communicate using sign language. It is a very impressive experiment that Penny has devoted pretty much her whole life to doing. The things Penny did with Koko probably wouldn't be allowed today, but it has allowed people to learn a lot about gorillas and their language capabilities.
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I agree that what Penny has done with Koko is extraordinary and has allowed us to understand gorillas more than in the past. However, I do think that Penny is violating the Reverence for Life concept. Reverence for Life dictates that animals ought to live how is naturally intended for the animal. Therefore, for Koko her best interest would be in living like a wild gorilla, neither in a zoo nor with Penny learning human sign language. I think that is is harmful to the gorilla and Koko has trouble with identity because she is not quite human (she is still locked us in cell and treated as an animal would be); however, she is unable to relate to other gorillas because she has only lived among humans. She does not know her natural function. I think that is a bad thing because each species has an intended role in nature and Koko's function has been compromised. She is neither gorilla nor human - she seems to be stuck in the middle.
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