- WOODSIDE, Calif. (AP) --
When Koko the gorilla used the American Sign Language gesture for pain
and pointed to her mouth, 12 specialists, including three dentists, sprang
into action.
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- The result? Her first full medical examination in about
20 years, an extracted tooth and a clean bill of health.
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- About a month ago, Koko, a 136-kilogram ape who became
famous for mastering more than 1,000 signs, began telling her handlers
at the Gorilla Foundation in Woodside that she was in pain. They quickly
constructed a pain chart, offering Koko a scale from one to 10.
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- When Koko started pointing to nine or 10 too often, a
dental appointment was made. And because anesthesia would be involved,
her handlers used the opportunity to give Koko a head-to-toe exam.
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- ìShe's quite articulate,î volunteer Johnpaul
Slater said. ìShe'll tell us how bad she's feeling, how bad the
pain is. It looked like it was time to do something.î
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- Twelve specialists ñ a Stanford cardiologist,
three anesthesiologists, three dentists, an ear and throat specialist,
two veterinarians, a gastroenterologist and a gynecologist ñ volunteered
to help.
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- ìIt's not often that we get to work on a celebrity,î
said Dr. David Liang, assistant professor of medicine at Stanford. ìProbably,
Koko is less demanding.î
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- The team came to Koko on the weekend, bringing portable
X-ray and ultrasound machines. They set up shop at her ìapartment,î
which looks like a remodelled box car, complete with a makeshift toilet,
television, DVD player and lots of toys.
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- After four hours of tests ñ including a colonoscopy,
gynecological exam, dental work, X-rays, and ultrasounds ñ doctors
pronounced her fit.
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- Koko, who celebrated her 33rd birthday on July 4, was
due for a checkup. While gorillas in captivity are known to live into their
50s, they are susceptible to heart disease and a thickening of the arteries.
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- Koko and Ndume, her partner of 11 years (he doesn't ìspeakî),
have been trying unsuccessfully to have a baby, and the doctors thought
the checkup could let them know whether she had any biological problems
preventing it. She does not.
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- Her teacher, Francine Patterson, was at her side when
the anesthesiologist prepared to put her under in the morning, and apparently
Koko asked to meet her specialists.
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- They crowded around her, and Koko, who plays favourites,
asked one woman wearing red to come closer. The woman handed her a business
card, which Koko promptly ate.
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- Otherwise, Koko was calm, Dr. Liang said.
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- The Gorilla Foundation has studied gorilla intelligence
by teaching American Sign Language to Koko and another gorilla, Michael,
who died in 2000.
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