Koko (gorilla)

Hanabiko, nicknamed "Koko" was a female western lowland gorilla born in the San Francisco Zoo and cross-fostered by Francine Patterson for use in ape language experiments. Koko gained public attention as the subject of two National Geographic cover stories and, in 1985, the best-selling children's picture book, Koko's Kitten. Koko brought widespread attention to her critically endangered species.