Celebrate Koko The Gorilla’s Life With This Incredible Netflix Documentary

Sad news hit today that Koko the gorilla died in her sleep this week. She was 46.

If you want to marvel at the life that this incredible being had, there is currently a fascinating documentary on Netflix titled Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks, that you can watch right now to celebrate her life.

The documentary from 2016 is under an hour long and highlights the special friendship formed between Koko and Penny Patterson, the woman who taught her how to communicate with sign language. The two were pals for many decades, and Koko was an extraordinary being.

The PBS doc spans over 40 years and examines the major scientific breakthrough of being able to speak with animals.

Koko, a western lowland gorilla, was originally named Hanabi-ko, which is Japanese for “fireworks child,” as she was born on July 4, 1971 at the San Francisco Zoo. The documentary is a sweet and fascinating look at a creature that not only touched many lives, but bridged a huge gap that will impact scientific methods for years to come.

As NPR notes, after she learned American Sign Language, she was featured on the cover of National Geographic, where she took her own picture in a mirror for the magazine. So not only did Koko pave the way for the use of ASL between animals and humans, she may have even led the selfie trend, too!

Where to watch Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks