Can humans communicate with animals?
Koko the gorilla wowed the world with her ability to learn sign language and converse with her handlers, but not everyone was convinced. Many experts have questioned the validity of Koko’s example, as well as other case studies that test animals’ communication abilities and thought processes. They point to possible flaws in the experiments, such as the potential for rote learning, mimicry, reaction to unconscious cues in the examiners’ behavior and assumption on behalf of the handlers. Researchers have since worked to counter doubters by conducting further studies in more controlled conditions. But putting aside the possibility of error in the testing process, let’s look at some interesting cases of human interactions with animals that, if actually displaying direct communication, could have amazing implications for our understanding of language and co
