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At Chester Zoo, a 15-foot reticulated python who shares her name with the Hollywood actress has become the first snake in the world known to receive electrochemotherapy, a cancer treatment that’s normally reserved for humans. Jodie Foster the python is 23-years-old and weighs a hefty 50kg. She was sedated inside her own habitat first, then carefully moved to the vet centre, where the entire procedure took about 90 minutes.
A closer examination revealed a fibrosarcoma, a type of malignant tumour, growing in her jaw. A recent check-up confirmed there’s no evidence of the cancer returning, about as reassuring a result as the team could ask for at this stage.
When she first arrived at the zoo, her records were marked “JF,” shorthand for “juvenile female. “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, Ian Ashpole, a veterinary officer at the zoo, told BBC. Months after the procedure, keepers say she’s back to eating well, moving around her enclosure, and generally being her usual feisty self. For a reptile that was facing a life-threatening tumour in her jaw, that’s about as good an outcome as anyone could have hoped for. Her name, funnily enough, wasn’t a deliberate tribute to the actress, it grew out of a paperwork mix-up. Staff ran with it, and the name stuck. Things took a worrying turn when keepers noticed she wasn’t eating as much as usual and was spending long stretches lying still in her habitat. For a snake her size, that kind of behaviour change is a red flag. Surgeons removed it, but it came back and this time, it started eating into her jawbone itself, threatening her ability to eat and, eventually, her life. Once the tumour returned, the zoo’s veterinary team knew surgery alone wouldn’t cut it. That’s when they turned to electrochemotherapy, a treatment more commonly used in human oncology. It works by pairing a cancer drug called bleomycin with short, controlled bursts of electricity aimed directly at the tumour site. Those electrical pulses briefly open up the walls of cancer cells, letting the drug soak in far more effectively than it would on its own. Adapting a human cancer treatment for a giant snake wasn’t exactly straightforward, though. Jodie is so long that no single operating table in the zoo’s veterinary centre could hold her, staff ended up pushing two tables together to create a surface roughly the size of a double bed. Veterinary officer Ian Ashpole began by cutting away the tumour and the damaged section of jawbone, and then the electrochemotherapy was used to mop up any cancerous cells left behind. The months since the procedure have brought a lot of relief at Chester Zoo. Pythons rely on being able to unhinge their jaws wide enough to swallow prey much larger than their own heads, so any damage to that area is a serious concern for a snake’s long-term wellbeing. Keepers have been watching closely, and they report that Jodie is striking at food, gripping it, and swallowing normally, with no sign of trouble. What makes Jodie’s case notable isn’t just that one snake got better, it’s what her treatment might mean for other animals down the line. The procedure was carried out with input from cancer specialists at the University of Liverpool, including Jose Alvarez Picornell from the university’s department of small animal clinical science.
“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.” he explained. The team now plans to formally publish the details of how the treatment was carried out, so vets elsewhere can learn from it and potentially adapt it for other reptiles or exotic species facing similar tumours. Looking for trusted parenting advice? Follow TOI Parenting Circle on Instagram for expert guidance, relatable stories, and practical tips delivered every day.