Koko Love Gorilla Giclee Art Print | Gorilla Artwork | Gorilla Art Print | Animal Lover Gift

10% of each "Koko Love" sale is donated to The Gorilla Foundation.

This Giclee print is available as a 5x7 or 8x10. Please make your selection in the dropdown box above. Prints are made with a 1/4" border for matting and framing.

Language is a tool that ordinarily separates man from animal. This understanding was challenged by Koko, a gorilla known for her astonishing use of sign language. Koko understood 2,000 words of spoken English, in addition to her knowledge of more than 1,000 signs.

In 1983, Koko requested a cat for her birthday. When gifted with a stuffed animal, she continually signed ‘sad’. Koko was given a kitten on her birthday the next year, and was gentle and loving, treating it as a baby gorilla. When she learned the news that her kitten had escaped and was hit by a car, Koko signed the words ‘bad’, ‘sad’, ‘cry’, and ‘have sorry’. Her caregiver reported hearing Koko make noises that night similar to human crying.

Throughout her life, Koko kept kittens as pets. Her intelligence and emotional capacity forever changed our perception of gorillas’ cognitive abilities. Koko passed away in her sleep on June 19th, 2018. This piece represents how I hope Koko to be now—free, and with the kittens she loved by her side.

What the heck does Giclee mean?

Giclee printing is a process that uses a 12 color ink jet printer, high quality acid free papers, and pigment based archival inks. This insures that your prints will never degrade or yellow over time and if treated properly, will last a lifetime.