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San Francisco Zoo employees are trying to track down and thank a young girl who came to the zoo last month to donate money for the care of a baby gorilla.
The girl, who said her name was Alexis, visited the zoo on Aug. 10 and gave a zookeeper $22 she said she had raised by making origami and selling it to friends, zoo officials said.
The money will help purchase formula for Hasani, a baby gorilla born last December who made headlines when his birth mother rejected him.
After the girl made the donation, the zookeeper ran to retrieve a photo of Hasani to give to her as a token of appreciation. When the employee came back, however, the girl had left.
Zoo officials now want to find Alexis to say a formal thank-you and invite her back for a special meet-and-greet with the gorilla keepers.
Hasani is now being raised by surrogate mother, Bawang, who has been trained to care for him. Zoo spokesman Gwendolyn Tornatore said today their relationship has blossomed.
Hasani is now comfortably interacting with all of the gorillas in the enclosure, including his father Oscar Jonesy and his mother Monifa, Tornatore said.
Anyone who knows Alexis is asked to call Gwendolyn Tornatore at (415) 753-7174.
