Hidden in the hills of Northern California, a
few miles South of San Francisco lies Woodside,
one of the wealthiest towns in the United
States.
It is home to a host of celebrities including a
western lowland gorilla named Koko, whose life
challenges what it is that makes humans unique.
Over forty years ago, Penny Patterson set out
to discover if humans and gorillas could ever
communicate.
- everyone when they're a child has that doctor
Doolittle moment where they think, you know if
only we could talk to animals and here was a
chance.
What began as a PhD to teach sign language to
Koko turned into a lifelong relationship.
- It seemed like Penny was in love with Koko
and the way in which a mother might be in love
with her daughter.
News about Koko made headlines across the
world.
- Koko who is a particularly intelligent
gorilla... Koko is the subject of the longest
ongoing ape language ...
But throughout their time together, Penny has
had to fight to keep Koko.
- the reality that it really would end just
didn't enter our mind.
Now nearly half a century since the project
began, the line between humans and apes is
being redrawn.
A court in Argentina has ruled that now orang
outans can be granted some of the legal rights
enjoyed by humans.
With over 2,000 hours of footage collected over
forty four years, does project Koko finally
prove that animals can communicate their
thoughts and feelings with humans?
Or are there some things that will always
separate us from our closest relatives?
Glossary :
- Northern /ˈnÉ”Ëðən/ = du Nord
- Western lowland /ˈwɛstən/ /ˈləʊlənd/ =
Plaine de l'ouest
- Closest relatives = Parents les plus proches