Like many Sign Language apes, Koba didn't understand that apes who didn't use sign language were like him, and also wasn't taught by Mary what the word 'chimp' meant. Koba was born and raised in a primate research facility, where he lived with his beloved and loving mother and their kind caregiver, Mary, who taught them sign language. 3.2 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Firestorm.1.3 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Firestorm.