People

By Guy D. Garcia

Hearts broke across America with the news last Christmas that Koko, the "talking" gorilla, was mourning the death of her pet kitten. All-Ball, as Koko had named her, was a tailless cat who had lived at the Gorilla Foundation in Woodside, Calif., for half a year before scampering out and into traffic. Koko, 13, who is said to have a sign-language vocabulary of about 500 words, indicated to a research associate that she wanted a replacement and picked out a drawing of a Manx, a rare breed with no tail. And now Koko has her wish, an orange male Manx kitten. "Baby," signaled the thrilled Koko. "My cat good." Michael, the center's male talking gorilla who lives in the next cage, would like the cat to be his and has proposed Banana as a name. Koko thought the moniker was "nice," but is still taking suggestions. So the cat is unnamed. These things must be considered carefully.