Women: Caretaker of famous gorilla pressured us to bare our breasts

[joeunderdog]

Two former caretakers for Koko, the famous gorilla who communicates with humans using sign language, say they were continually pressured to show Koko their breasts or face the consequences.

Nancy Alperin and Kendra Keller are suing Koko's primary caretaker, Dr. Francine "Penny" Patterson, because she allegedly asked them to "perform bizarre sexual acts with Koko" — namely, taking off their tops — to bond with the five-foot-tall, 280-pound female gorilla.

"Patterson would interpret certain hand movements made by Koko as a 'demand' to see exposed human nipples," the suit alleges. " made it known to Keller and Alperin that if did not indulge Koko's nipple fetish, their employment with the Gorilla Foundation would suffer."

Claiming severe emotional distress, humiliation, embarrassment, anger, disappointment and worry, the women filed suit in February, naming the Gorilla Foundation — the Woodside, Calif., nonprofit charged with Koko's care — and Patterson, its president and research director.

http://www.courttv.com/people/2005/0812/koko_ctv.html

One of the gorillas was reportedly named Ah-nold.