Famed sign-language-learning gorilla Koko, a onetime friend to Robin Williams, has been living in a private sanctuary down in Woodside for decades under the care of The Gorilla Foundation, alongside her male partner Ndume. This past winter, as we learn from a GoFundMe campaign, while much the Bay Area was inundated with torrential rains, the roof over the gorillas' sleeping quarters and play yard both sustained damage enough that they need replacing before the next rainy season comes. Koko and Ndume's caregivers are therefore seeking $35,000 in donations to replace both roofs, expenses they say were "not anticipated in our annual budget."

Last we heard from Koko, she was learning to play bass with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, and in the fall of 2015 we saw her picking out a couple of new kitten "babies" to take care of.

She remains under the care of Penny Patterson, the same former Stanford researcher who began conducting her sign-language experiments with Koko back in the early 1970's. Though other researchers have tried to challenge some of Patterson's claims about Koko's knowledge of language, which she asserts is greater than that of any other non-human primate. Patterson says that Koko understands about 2,000 words of spoken English, and knows 1,000 signs.

The fundraising effort is well underway to put a new roof over Koko and Ndume's heads, with plans to start construction this month. As of today they've raised almost $27,000 of the $35,000 goal.

Below, a short video of Ndume running to safety in a rainstorm without getting his hands muddy.

Previously: Video: Watch Koko The Gorilla With Her New Kitten 'Babies'