Robin Williams mourned by Koko, a gorilla he interacted with during an awareness drive

Robin Williams influenced the lives of a countless number of people through his movies. However, probably the most unique and touching account of Williams’ ability to connect would be how a gorilla, who the actor had interacted with, mourned his demise. [caption id=“attachment_1662767” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Robin Williams with Koko. Courtesy: YouTube[/caption] According to Buzzfeed, Williams met Koko, a female gorilla, at the Gorilla Foundation in Woodside, California in the US in 2001. Williams also filmed a video with Koko to raise awareness of environmental threats to gorillas and accepted the post of co-chair for the Gorilla Foundation’s campaign to create the Maui Ape Preserve.

In the video, Robin Williams himself had described the experience as “mind-altering” and “unforgettable”. “We shared something extraordinary: laughter. Koko understands spoken English and uses over a thousand signs to share her feelings and thoughts about daily events: life, love…even death,” said Williams in the video. Williams is completely at ease, relaxed and as involved and interested in the games he and Koko are playing. He never holds himself back or declines any request made by the huge gorilla. At the same time, Koko is also seen having an equally good time as she unhesitatingly plays around with William’s sunglasses, signals him to chase and tickle her and even examines William’s pockets and wallet with great curiosity. The connection between Koko and Williams is easily seen when they hug each other in the video. “She was fun. It was a blast,” Williams said in the video. On Monday, when Dr Penny Patterson, president of the Gorilla Foundation and Koko’s foster mother, told Koko about William’s demise, “Koko became very somber, with her head bowed and her lip quivering,” said Patterson. Koko also signaled the words for “woman” and “crying”. “Robin made Koko smile — something she hadn’t done for over six months, ever since her childhood gorilla companion, Michael, passed away,” said Patterson in the Buzzfeed article.