Giraffe in UK zoo has trouble breathing for years. Watch her learn to use inhaler
Towering above the rest of the animal kingdom, giraffes are the tallest animals in the world. Their lanky bodies allow them to reach tree tops for a snack or run with surprising speed across the Serengeti.
But when a giraffe is experiencing respiratory problems, how do you treat an animal that gets roughly one-third of its height from its neck alone?
The clinical staff at Banham Zoo were faced with this question when “much-loved” giraffe Mahiri started showing signs of a chronic nasal condition, according to a Sept. 5 news release from the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
The now 16-year-old female reticulated giraffe was born in Germany as part of a European breeding program, and has shown signs of respiratory distress for much of her life, the organization said.
Mahiri has lots of mucus in both nostrils, a veterinary spokesperson said in a Sept. 4 Facebook video from Banham Zoo. While treating the symptoms, they have been unable to pin down the cause of the build-up for now.
The giraffe started on an oral steroid treatment, but this isn’t a long-term solution, and the zoo staff had to get creative.
So, they built an “inhaler” fit for the giant.
“For the past three years, the zoo’s dedicated animal care and veterinary teams have worked patiently, day after day, to gently train Mahiri to accept treatment voluntarily,” the organization said. “This extraordinary level of trust means Mahiri can now take part in her own healthcare calmly and willingly, without the need for sedation or restraint — ensuring her comfort and dignity are always preserved.”
The team started by creating a nebulizer, or a contraption where Mahiri can stick her head into what looks like a multi-gallon jug with a large hole cut out of one side and a Tupperware attached to the other, the video shows.
The jug could then be filled with medicated vapor that would help open Mahiri’s airways, the video shows. Then they needed to work Mahiri up to have her face in the jug when they shot an inhaler into the air and down towards her nostrils.
“We knew it was going to be quite tricky because she is a very nervous animal and giraffes can be scared of their own shadow at times, so it was a very slow process” one zookeeper said. “And what we decided, it was best to get her comfortable eating from the makeshift mask and when she got comfortable eating out of there we then moved the nebulizer closer and closer to her each time.”
Once she was comfortable with the vapor, the animal care team introduced the inhalers that would provide a more direct spray.
What started as a few puffs from the inhalers per day has now grown to 10 puffs as Mahiri became more comfortable, the care team said.
A Sept. 7 Facebook post from the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums shows Mahiri with iterations of the inhaler.
“This achievement is more than a veterinary first — it is a reflection of the compassion, expertise, and commitment that their staff bring to every animal in their care. Mahiri’s journey not only improves her own quality of life, but also contributes to advancing knowledge in giraffe healthcare worldwide,” the organization said.
The next steps are to collect mucus and blood samples to diagnose Mahiri’s condition and hopefully begin to treat the root cause of her respiratory distress, according to the video.
Giraffes are technically made up of four distinct species, with a total of an estimated 140,000 giraffes living in the wild today. Their population is threatened and their habitat is shrinking, though they are still found across central, eastern and southern Africa, according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation.
Banham Zoo is in eastern England, about a 100-mile drive northeast from London.
This story was originally published September 15, 2025 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Giraffe in UK zoo has trouble breathing for years. Watch her learn to use inhaler."
