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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
 Posted - 09/12/2007 : 06:39:58 AM
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I don't know if you guys have heard about Koko the gorilla. She is the one who was taught sign language and who communicates beautifully with her human friends. They are trying to breed her because she constantly tells them she wants a baby. You may have seen pictures of her, a huge gorilla cradling a tiny baby kitty in her arms. She plays with doll babies and puts them up to her breast to feed (instinct, I guess).
In an attempt to better protect the gorillas, in an attempt to make conditions better for potential breeding, and in order to educate the public, the Gorilla Foundation/Koko.org are establishing a gorilla preserve on Maui. Seven acres in West Maui on land provided by the Maui Land & Pineapple Co. You can read about it at: http://www.koko.org/preserve/
I would be interested in your reactions to what they are attempting to do. I would especially be interested in any kama`aina perspective. I am not sure how long it will be before it is operational. They still need a good chunk of funds, but they have started some work on the project.
I have my own thoughts on the topic. Like being jealous that a gorilla and her boyfriend get to move to Maui and I can't. Ha-ha. Joking!
One point is that gorillas don't belong in Hawai`i. Africa, though, is the reason why gorillas are endangered. What to do?
The preserve will certainly change the imprint of the `aina. Electricity going where it wasn't before; water usage, roads, traffic for visitors. On the other hand, I wonder if the pineapple company would have given away land if it could have been sold for any kind of decent money?
Lots of questions. Lots of impact both "fer 'n agin"..
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Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2007 : 06:49:11 AM
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There's a lot of building on Maui that isn't appreciated by the locals, including the rows of megamansions stretching from Wailea to Makena. But there's not much anyone can do about it.
I think the big agricultural concerns have land that is in the valley of the island and not shoreline or view property. Perhaps it's not as valuable as other places, or perhaps they are just letting the land go to lease (to be returned later) because the crops aren't very profitable either. It does seem like an expensive place to build an animal enclosure. Gorillas like poi?
Jesse Tinsley
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noeau
Ha`aha`a
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2007 : 08:16:11 AM
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Gorilla go home!
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No'eau, eia au he mea pa'ani wale nō. |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2007 : 10:06:18 AM
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| Oprah go home! |
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noeau
Ha`aha`a
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2007 : 10:08:58 AM
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| If the gorilla get loose and he ride the ferry we going have gorillas all over the place. |
No'eau, eia au he mea pa'ani wale nō. |
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2007 : 10:19:51 AM
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| The sequel to "Snakes On A Plane" - "Gorilla On A Ferry." Remind me not to go see that. |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2007 : 12:12:38 PM
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But these gorillas have large vocabularies using American Sign Language, so they can tell you before they eat your face. Or they can tell you, "Geev poi". Only going to have gorillas all over the place if they can get her to breed in captivity. I think she is like 30 years old already.
Actually, they gave Koko a mu`umu`u for her birthday on July 4th. In the article on their web site, they had a picture of her with it (was too small), but they called it a mumu. I wrote them an e-mail at that time and told them that even though it is a gorilla and even though they are not yet occupying the space on Maui, that right off the bat they should be pono about respecting Hawaiian culture, land, language, etc., and I politely showed them how to spell mu`umu`u. I got a very nice e-mail back thanking me for pointing that out to them and that they would correct the spelling on their web site and they would enlist the aid of a Hawaiian language expert, as well as someone to guide then regarding the culture. I was pretty impressed with that, to tell you the truth. And in the e-mail, they even told me "Mahalo". And she told me that Koko loves flowers and was very happy to get a genuine orchid lei and that she wore it for days and days until it started falling apart. And some of the smaller lei, she used as haku lei for her big head.
They did not give her an `ukulele yet. I hope they don't, she will probably learn to play it quicker than I can. Since she loves kitties so much, I wonder if she will make friends with a mongoose in Hawai`i. |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
Edited by - wcerto on 09/12/2007 12:13:37 PM |
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2007 : 2:32:12 PM
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when i was a grad student many years ago, penny was working with koko on my campus. in the morning while biking in i'd occasionally see penny taking koko out for a walk. there was another gorilla back then too, i think. my girlfriend worked for penny. i've got a soft spot in my heart for them.
i'm not a kama'aina. it's not going to change the landscape as much as the windmills on kealaloloa ridge did. or the supercomputer center in kihei did. or the aquarium in ma'alaea did. or the telescopes on top of haleakala did... but i digress...
i can't tell exactly where they're siting this, maybe a bit north and a fair bit mauka from the kapalua golf course? it should have a beautiful view of the halawa direction of moloka'i.
i've done a lot of running on cane roads and some long day hikes in the west maui mountains. there's a nature conservancy site up that is being worked on, but you have to get pretty high before it's in good shape.
aloha,
keith
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Edited by - marzullo on 09/12/2007 2:32:55 PM |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2007 : 2:55:33 PM
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I think her first boyfriend was Michael. He died of heart problems, I think. If you watch the movie on their web site about how Koko acted when her first kitty, "All-Ball" (name given by Koko), it would just break your heart. She loved her kitty and to see a huge gorilla signing that she was sad, signing that she has frown face was so touching. Waimaka. Now her boyfriend is Ndume.
(I get the newsletter and mail and stuff because one time I donated to them, so I think they are spending all the money I donated to them in postage to send me requests to donate more money). |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2007 : 03:07:49 AM
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Jesse, there is a lot of building on Maui that *is* "appreciated" by the locals, including the swath of housing along the valley floor from Wailuku towards Ma`alaea and the Upcountry developments from Pukulani on up, and the McMansions towards Kahakuloa, and the developments on former cane fields at Olowalu (some of which get agricultural tax breaks for various spurious reasons) and the swath from the Kapalua airport near Akahele Street heading north to Kapalua (did I forget any?).
As far as the Koko reserve is concerned, Sarah and I learned about it years ago, one night, from some Hawaiians who were clearly bitter about it, and clearly thought of that land as a Hawaiian legacy (paraphrase): "They give the lands to a Gorilla and they don't give Hawaiians their own land." You won't hear them say anything about it here or publicly.
Maui has passed a "tipping point" and is a long way down that slippery slope. Might as well stay in San Diego or Hamden (where the weather has been, and is, gorgeous today - if that is your criterion of a nice place to be) or New Jersey. The traffic jams between Kahului and Lahaina or up to Pukulani are just what we experience in megalopolis. And, I can suck exhaust here just as well as on Maui. The only important element left on Maui, for us, are the few remaining people we care about.
...Reid |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2007 : 05:19:53 AM
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Great, already half the time I flash the ASL sign for "I love you" when I mean to give a shaka...
Anyone know what the shaka translates into ASL? Hope it's something nice, or someone might tick off the gorilla.
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RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2007 : 05:56:23 AM
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| If gorillas get loose and overpopulate the island, I wonder what instruments the gorilla wranglers will bring? lol |
Bob |
Edited by - RWD on 09/13/2007 05:57:05 AM |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2007 : 06:14:09 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Mark
Anyone know what the shaka translates into ASL?
It doesn't translate to anything, although if you turn it around with the palm facing out it's the letter "Y". |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2007 : 06:17:02 AM
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If they overpopulate, then they have met the foundation's goal. Gorillas do not breed well in captivity, but moreso, for Koko and her signing mate, Ndume, they want to evaluate how the offspring would be as far as communication skills. They want to see if Koko would teach a baby how to communicate by sign language. Or to see if somehow genetics would have anything to do with communication skills. Two fold goal -- make more gorilla babies and study to see if the communication skills would be passed down.
Hope Charleton Heston doesn't have to make more Ape movies. |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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Julie H
Ha`aha`a
USA
1206 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2007 : 10:13:35 PM
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I'm so sorry people find this topic so comical at times.
I myself have great respect for Dr. Penny Patterson and her attempts at providing for Koko a habitat and climate which is probably much closer to her native habitat than the California coastal redwood mountains where they live at the present. They occasionally get snow where they are. Not exactly a temperate climate....
Plus, several years ago there was a major threat to Koko's welfare when a timber company wanted to log within a short distance of Koko's pen, which would have sent her up the walls with all the noise. Animals are very sensitive to sounds.
The lack of respect can go both directions, folks.
These plans have been in the works for over 10 years. I can't imagine that these educated, professional and dedicated people can do any more damage than the thoughtless locals I've seen dumping their thrash and smashed up cars....
And I've seen plenty of that over the years!
Julie
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808bk
Akahai
82 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2007 : 10:57:59 PM
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quote:
If gorillas get loose and overpopulate the island, I wonder what instruments the gorilla wranglers will bring? lol
I wonder if they would run away? If someone came to your house, opened the front door and said 'you are free to go', would you leave? |
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