2026-08-21 13:15:10
A giant python named after Hollywood star Jodie Foster has made veterinary history after becoming the first snake believed to have received a pioneering cancer treatment normally used on humans.
The 15-foot (4.5m) reticulated python, weighing 50kg, was diagnosed with a malignant fibrosarcoma after keepers noticed she was eating less and becoming unusually inactive.
The 23-year-old snake initially had the tumour removed, but it returned and began invading her jawbone.
With her life at risk, vets turned to electrochemotherapy, a treatment that combines the cancer drug bleomycin with controlled electrical pulses to help the medicine penetrate cancer cells.
Ian Ashpole, a veterinary officer at Chester Zoo, said: “When the tumour came back and started destroying part of her jawbone, we knew more surgery on its own probably wasn’t going to be enough.
“We were facing the possibility of losing her as the tumour made it more and more difficult for her to eat, so we worked with cancer specialists to see whether we could adapt electrochemotherapy for a snake. As far as we’re aware, this is the first time it’s ever been used in one.”
Jodie was anaesthetised in her habitat before being carried to the zoo’s veterinary centre for the 90-minute procedure.
Because of her enormous size, two operating tables had to be pushed together to create a platform roughly the size of a double bed.
Vets removed the tumour and part of the diseased jawbone before administering electrochemotherapy to target cancer cells that remained.
The treatment appears to have worked.
Months later, Jodie is eating normally and has returned to striking, gripping and swallowing her food without difficulty.
A final check this week found no signs of the cancer returning.
Jose Alvarez Picornell, from the University of Liverpool, said: “Electrochemotherapy is an emerging treatment and this was the first time it had been used in a snake. The success of this treatment is a testament to the power of collaboration.
“By working closely with Ian, we were able to develop a plan that not only benefited Jodie Foster but will also contribute to the wider veterinary community.”
Jodie’s unusual name dates back to her arrival at the zoo, when staff spotted “JF” on her paperwork, meaning “juvenile female”.
She is now back to her “usual bright and feisty self”, with vets preparing to formally publish details of the procedure so other specialists can learn from the breakthrough.
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