Chester Zoo Python First Snake to Receive Human Cancer Treatment

A 15-foot reticulated python at Chester Zoo is believed to be the first snake in the world to receive a pioneering cancer treatment typically used on humans, and a final check this week confirmed she remains free of the disease. The 23-year-old python, named Jodie Foster, has made a full recovery after undergoing electrochemotherapy for a malignant jaw tumor, zoo officials announced on August 21, 2026.

The snake, weighing approximately 50 kilograms, first came to the attention of keepers when she began eating less and spending more time inactive. Veterinary staff diagnosed her with a fibrosarcoma, a malignant tumor in her jaw. Initial surgery in 2024 removed the growth, but it returned last year and began invading her jawbone, threatening her ability to eat and her overall health.

Faced with the possibility of losing the animal, the zoo's veterinary team collaborated with cancer specialists to adapt electrochemotherapy for a reptile. The treatment combines the chemotherapy drug bleomycin with carefully controlled electrical pulses delivered directly to the tumor site. The pulses temporarily make cancer cell membranes more permeable, allowing the drug to enter more effectively...