Michael (gorilla)
Michael (March 17, 1973, Cameroon – April 19, 2000) was a male gorilla involved in experiments to teach apes sign language.[citation needed] Both Michael and Koko’s linguistic abilities are widely rejected by specialists, despite popular perception to the contrary.Michael died of heart failure related to cardiomyopathy on April 19, 2000.Koko and her more recent potential mate, Ndume, mourned his death for several months.Koko died in 2018, and staff have since returned Ndume to the Cincinnati Zoo, where he lives with two female gorilla companions.