A 15-foot (4.5-metre) reticulated python named Jodie Foster has made veterinary history after undergoing a groundbreaking cancer treatment that specialists believe has never before been used on a snake. The 23-year-old, 50-kilogram python at Chester Zoo in northwest England was treated with electrochemotherapy after a malignant tumour returned in her jaw.
The pioneering procedure came after surgery alone was no longer considered enough to control the cancer. Months later, follow-up examinations found no signs of the tumour returning, while Jodie has reportedly returned to eating normally, exploring her habitat and behaving like her usual “bright and feisty” self.
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How Jodie Foster’s Groundbreaking Snake Cancer Treatment Worked
Jodie’s health began raising concerns when keepers noticed she was eating less and becoming increasingly inactive in her habitat. Veterinary examinations revealed a malignant fibrosarcoma in her jaw, and although the tumour was initially removed surgically, it later returned.
This time, the cancer had become far more serious. The tumour was invading and destroying part of Jodie’s jawbone, making it increasingly difficult for her to eat and leaving veterinarians worried that another operation by itself would not be enough.
Chester Zoo’s veterinary team then joined forces with cancer specialists from the University of Liverpool to explore whether electrochemotherapy could be adapted for a large reptile.
“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.”
— Ian Ashpole, veterinary officer at Chester Zoo
The operation itself required some serious logistical planning. Because Jodie is enormous, two operating tables had to be pushed together to create a platform approximately the size of a double bed.
Jodie was first anaesthetised inside her habitat before being carefully transported to the zoo’s veterinary centre. The procedure lasted around 90 minutes.
Veterinarians performed a hemi-mandibulectomy, removing the tumour along with part of the diseased jawbone. They then used electrochemotherapy to target cancer cells that could have remained after the tumour was surgically removed.
The treatment combines the chemotherapy drug bleomycin with carefully controlled electrical pulses delivered directly to the tumour site. Those pulses temporarily increase the permeability of cancer cells, allowing the drug to enter them more effectively and work with lower doses.
Adapting the technique for a 15-foot python presented a major veterinary challenge. Jose Alvarez Picornell from the University of Liverpool’s Department of Small Animal Clinical Science described the result as an example of what specialist collaboration can achieve.
“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.”
— Jose Alvarez Picornell, University of Liverpool
The location of Jodie’s cancer made the case particularly significant. Her tumour had already returned once and was destroying the bone in her jaw, threatening one of the most basic things she needed to survive: eating.
Yet the recovery has been remarkably positive.
Months after the procedure, follow-up examinations found no signs that the cancer had returned. Jodie is now reportedly eating normally, exploring her enclosure and displaying her usual behaviour. Despite losing part of her jawbone, she has continued to demonstrate her ability to strike, grip and swallow food.
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Zoo staff have even watched her eat a whole chicken.
For Ian Ashpole and the veterinary team, the difference is striking.
“A few months ago, we genuinely didn’t know whether she’d survive. Now she’s eating normally, exploring her habitat and behaving exactly as we’d hope. It also shows how much veterinary medicine is advancing. By bringing together zoo vets and cancer specialists, we’ve been able to use a treatment developed for people to save an animal in a way that’s never been done before.”
— Ian Ashpole, Chester Zoo
There is also an unusual story behind Jodie’s name. When she arrived at Chester Zoo around two decades ago, her paperwork was marked “JF,” meaning “juvenile female.” The abbreviation eventually inspired her keepers to name her after Hollywood actress Jodie Foster.
Now 23 years old and weighing approximately 50 kilograms, Jodie’s size was also one of the biggest challenges during her treatment, with a standard operating table simply unable to accommodate her.
The University of Liverpool specialists plan to formally publish details of the procedure so veterinary professionals around the world can study the adaptation and potentially build upon it when treating reptiles with similar cancers.
“We will be formally publishing details of the procedure so that veterinary colleagues around the world can learn from and build upon our approach. This has been a very special career highlight for me and a fantastic opportunity to expand the work we do within the department to support high-quality veterinary and translational research.”
— Jose Alvarez Picornell, University of Liverpool
For veterinary medicine, Jodie’s case could become an important reference point for future reptile cancer treatment. For now, though, the most important outcome is much simpler: the giant python is eating, exploring and living normally again after facing a potentially fatal tumour.
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Disclaimer
This article is based on thorough research and information provided by Chester Zoo veterinary staff, the University of Liverpool, and contemporaneous reporting from BBC, The Guardian, CNN, The Independent, Dexerto and other sources available as of August 24, 2026. The claim that Jodie Foster is the first snake to receive electrochemotherapy reflects the assessment of the treating veterinary team. Her recovery status is based on post-procedure examinations reported by Chester Zoo. This article is not a formal veterinary scientific paper.
Sources / Links
- BBC — Snake at Chester Zoo undergoes ‘world-first’ human cancer therapy
- The Guardian — Python named Jodie Foster first snake to receive pioneering cancer treatment
- CNN — Python receives pioneering cancer treatment usually used in humans
- University of Liverpool — ‘World-first’ cancer treatment saves python
- The Independent — 40kg python becomes first-ever snake to receive cancer treatment normally used on humans
- Dexerto — Coverage of the pioneering treatment
Image Credit: Prajwal Bajracharya on Pexels
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