Mishka the Sea Otter
The Seattle Aquarium has taught a baby sea otter with asthma to use her own inhaler after acquiring the lung condition due to smoke from a recent wildfires in the area. Mishka was transferred from the wild to the aquarium in January, and could be the first asthmatic otter in recorded history, although the respiratory problem sometimes appears in cats and horses.
Seattle Aquarium's staff members think that the1-year-old otter developed the lung condition last month. That is when smoke from wildfires in Eastern Washington drifted across Pugent Sound, according to New York Post.
Sara Perry has used food to get the little animal to place her nose onto the inhaler, then after taking a deep breath she is awarded with a small treat in order to make the treatment as effective as possible. Perry told the King-5 TV station this makes the process "fun."
Mishka's medicine is the same one that asthmatic humans take, according to Boston Herald. It is likely she will require the inhaler's kelp for the remainder of her life. She is now transitioning from oral medicines to the inhaler.
Medical experts are uncertain how Mishka developed the lung condition, although it could be due to genes. When the genetic diversity of a species is reduced, it affects their immune system less effective to battle diseases or handle environmental pollutants.
Sea otters nearly became extinct in 1910 as a result of hunting. They were repopulated with otters from Alaska in the 1960s.
Otters have an average lifespan of 10 to 12 years. They are widely considered as one of the top architects in the animal kingdom.
