So pigs and monkeys. The only reason monkeys cant speak is because
they dont have the vocal chords to do so, however, their ability to
communicate via sign language is amazing! So turn ME into a monkey!
I would be complimented lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pmuu8UEi2koYeah, I love Koko's story. That's a great documentary too. There is a sweet little story here that might convince more people to watch it:
Koko is a female lowland gorilla who for more than two decades has been the focus of the world's longest ongoing ape language study. Instead of using spoken words, Koko communicates in Ameslan, or American Sign Language. Her teacher, Dr. Francine "Penny" Patterson of the California Gorilla Foundation, has helped the ape master a vocabulary of more than five hundred words. That's how Koko told Penny she wanted a cat for her birthday. She signs the word cat by drawing two fingers across her cheeks to indicate whiskers.
One day a litter of kittens was brought to the rural compound in Woodside, California, where Koko lives. The kittens had been abandoned at birth. Their "foster mother" was a terrier, who suckled them through the first month of life. Handling them with the gentle behavior typical of gorillas, Koko chose her pet, a tailless kitten with grey fur. She named her young friend "All Ball."
Koko enjoyed her new kitten, sniffing it and stroking it tenderly. She carried All Ball tucked against her upper leg and attempted to nurse it as if it were a baby gorilla. Koko was surprised to learn that kittens bite. When All Ball bit her on the finger, she made the signs for "dirty" and "toilet," her usual expressions of disapproval. It wasn't long, though, before Koko was signing the cat to tickle her - one of the gorilla's favorite games. "Koko seems to think that cats can do most things that she can do," said Penny.
"Soft/good/cat," said Koko.
One night All Ball escaped from the Gorilla Foundation and was accidentally killed by a car. When Koko was told about the accident, she at first acted as if she didn't hear or understand. Then a few minutes later she started to cry with high-pitched sobs. "Sad/frown" and "Sleep/cat" were her responses when the kitten was mentioned later. For nearly a week after the loss, Koko cried whenever the subject of cats came up.
The gorilla clearly missed her feline companion, but how much did she understand about what had happened? Fortunately, it was possible to ask Koko directly. Maureen Sheehan, a staff member at the Gorilla Foundation, interviewed Koko about her thoughts on death.
"Where do gorillas go when they die?" Maureen asked.
Koko replied, "Comfortable/hole/bye [the sign for kissing a person good-bye]."
"When do gorillas die?" she asked.
Koko replied with the signs "Trouble/old."
"How do gorillas feel when they die: happy, sad, afraid?"
"Sleep," answered Koko.
~ Excerpt from Gary Kowalski, The Souls of Animals
Topic: Come back to Allah