The Gorilla Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, protection and well-being of gorillas and other great apes through interspecies communication research and education.

Established in 1976 as a 501(c)(3) corporation, it is best known for "Project Koko," the longest interspecies communication study in history, and the only one involving gorillas.

It has evolved into an institution that provides a unique resource for great ape conservation, care and understanding.

The Gorilla Foundation has been exploring interspecies communication with gorillas for over 4 decades, through an integrated process of research and gorilla care that focuses on using sign language as a primary tool for understanding the great ape mind and its potential.

Koko, née le 4 juillet 1971 à San Francisco en Californie, est une femelle gorille vivant en captivité et connue pour être capable de communiquer en langue des signes. Elle a été dressée par l'éthologue Penny Patterson. Selon celle-ci, Koko maîtrise plus de 1 000 signes différents, dont 500 couramment, issus de la langue des signes américaine.