大猩猩保护机构The Gorilla Foundation（TGF）的官方推特于6月20日发布一则消息：西部低地大猩猩Koko于睡梦中安详离世，终年46岁。
“Koko — the gorilla known for her extraordinary mastery of sign language, and as the primary ambassador for her endangered species — passed away yesterday morning in her sleep at the age of 46. ”“Koko作为（西部低地大猩猩）濒危物种的代表，以她卓越的手语能力而著名。她于昨天（6月20日）清晨在睡梦中离世。”
Koko是谁
1971年7月4日，Koko出生在旧金山动物园。因为恰逢美国国庆日，她被取名为“hanabi-ko”，意为“烟花的孩子”。
Koko, the Westland Lowland Gorilla, was born in the San Francisco Zoo on July 4, 1971. Koko was named “Hanabi-Ko”, which means “fireworks child” in English, due to her birth coinciding with the American Independence Day.
Koko有多厉害
1.KoKo在语言学习方面极具天赋。
根据《时代》杂志于1975年的报道：
After three years of training, Koko could correctly sign more than a hundred and seventy words. Later, she could sign more than a thousand.经过三年的训练，Koko可以使用手语正确表达170余个英文单词，后来这个数量超过1000个。
2.两次登上《国家地理杂志》(National Geographic)封面
凭借着“开挂”般的智慧，Koko在7岁和14岁分别登上了《国家地理杂志》(National Geographic)的封面，成为当红一时的“明猩”。《国家地理杂志》也在Koko去世后进行了报道：
Ko开头的英文名“National Geographic magazine featured Koko of its cover twice: First in October 1978, with a photograph that she took of herself in a mirror (perhaps making it one of the earliest prominent animal selfies). She also appeared a second time on the cover in January 1985, in a story about Koko and her pet kitten.”
3.心灵导师
Koko的经历让外国网友倍受激励，她去世后，网友纷纷在TGF的官方社交账号下留言：
"在我成长的过程中，她（Koko）帮助我了解什么是爱，手语和同情心。谢谢你，koko，我们将永远爱你。"
"不！！！听到这个消息心都碎了！你是我实现梦想的精神动力。你教会我们很多关于人性的道理。安息吧！美丽的koko，你永远在我们心里！“
RIP Koko
Koko曾这样形容她眼中的死亡(death)——“舒适的洞里再见(comfortable hole bye)”。
如今Koko找到了那个“舒适的洞”，希望她能像2017年过生日时一样，永远无忧无虑。
Farewell, Koko!
