Koko logged on to the Internet on Monday -- and was clearly unimpressed.
During what was billed as the world's first interspecies online chat, the 300-pound gorilla was far more interested in her toy alligator and dreams of dinner than in answering a barrage of questions from thousands of eager humans.
"I like drinks," Koko said in one of her more lucid comments during the 45-minute chat. "Apple drink."
Koko's foray into Internet chat was sponsored by America Online and Envirolink, which together with the Gorilla Foundation set up the event to publicize the plight of the world's great apes.
Lowland gorillas like Koko are threatened by logging and poaching in their native habitats in central Africa, while their cousins, the mountain gorillas, now number fewer than 500 in the wild.
Koko, who is 26, was seen as the obvious online ambassador for her species. Raised and trained in Northern California, she has studied modified American Sign Language for 25 years and is now said to understand some 2,000 words of spoken English.
Unfortunately, few of these were put into play during Monday's chat.
"Lips," Koko said, using her codeword for woman. "Koko loves lips."
Francine Patterson, Koko's tutor and translator, said Koko's relative IQ was about 86 and that she reacts to many situations much like a human child. Koko dismissed one question about a fellow gorilla with the pithy "toilet" -- which Patterson said is Koko's word for "bad."
Koko's laconic approach to the Internet was frustrating for the human chatters, who peppered her with questions ranging from her opinions on Darwinian theory to her views on the new remake of King Kong.
She did manage one shocker -- demanding "food and smokes" for her birthday. But Patterson said Koko was tobacco-free and was really asking for her former pet, a kitten named Smokey.
Kevin Connelly, a spokesman for the Gorilla Foundation, said the chat had gone as well as could be expected and that Koko had actually been cut off at times because the human entering her responses could not type fast enough.
"She was responding to stuff longer than was typed in. The interface was a problem," Connelly said, adding that the event had been filmed and a more complete transcript of Koko's remarks would be made available.
He said that initial estimates indicated that as many as 20,000 people logged on to talk to Koko, and that the session had been a success.
"Koko seemed responsive and chatty," Connelly said. "We're happy and we had a lot of media coverage. We hope it gets the message out there about what is happening to the gorillas."
Koko herself seemed unimpressed. After a stop-and-go conversation during which Patterson reported that Koko paused to clean up her room, play with her toys, and gaze out the window, the gorilla finally pulled the plug on her Internet audience with a short, sharp command.
"Lights off. Good," Koko said.
