A 50-kilogram reticulated python named Jodie Foster at Chester Zoo has undergone a groundbreaking medical procedure, becoming what officials believe is the first snake in the world to receive electrochemotherapy for cancer treatment.
Keepers at the zoo noticed the 23-year-old python’s health declining when she began consuming less food and remaining inactive in her habitat. Veterinary evaluation revealed a fibrosarcoma, a malignant tumor, in her jaw. Following initial surgical removal, the tumor reappeared and began spreading into her jawbone, threatening her ability to survive.
Facing the possibility of losing the python, zoo staff collaborated with cancer specialists to adapt electrochemotherapy for reptile use. The procedure combines the cancer drug bleomycin with controlled electrical pulses applied directly to the tumor site. These pulses temporarily increase the permeability of cancer cells, enabling more effective drug penetration. The 90-minute procedure required two operating tables to be joined together to accommodate Jodie’s 15-foot length, as no single table was large enough.
During the operation, veterinary staff removed the cancerous mass along with affected portions of jawbone before administering the electrochemotherapy treatment. Several months following the procedure, Jodie has resumed normal eating patterns and resumed typical behavior. Recent examination confirmed no signs of cancer recurrence. Jose Alvarez Picornell from the University of Liverpool’s department of small animal clinical science indicated that findings from this case will be formally published to allow veterinary professionals worldwide to learn from and develop the approach further.
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