Cat Fact Wednesday
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Perhaps the most famous story of cross-species caring was Koko the gorilla and her kitten, All Ball. “The cover photo alone is all that is needed to ‘sell’ this book: the smallest, most delicate of kitten profiles in the massively careful embrace of a glistening gorilla, whose bare-knuckled fist is four times the size of the diminutive feline’s head, and whose face radiates tenderness. Koko is one of a number of great apes in various experimental communication programs and is remarkably conversant in American Sign Language, used by hundreds of thousands of hearing-impaired people. With her linguistic skill, she asked for, and finally received, the small, tailless tabby kitten she promptly named All Ball. This brief, moving book records Koko’s relationship with her pet. All Ball was groomed, played with, cuddled and loved, and never once showed fear of her large foster-mother, outlandish though she might seem to feline eyes” (Amazon).
See some more stories of animal altruism, check out the Koko foundation page here, and visit our Gorillas at Explore.org!
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