Koko, the Gorilla Dies at Age 46 The Gorilla Foundation confirmed her death on Thursday, June 21. Koko was born at the San Francisco Zoo in 1971 and was later moved to The Gorilla Foundation — a non-profit dedicated to protecting gorillas. Koko was exceptionally intelligent and mastered
sign language. On her birthday in July 1984, Koko was able to choose an abandoned kitten to adopt, and she chose a gray male Manx, which she named
“All Ball.” The two were photographed for the 1984 cover of ‘National Geographic.”