Jodie, a 15-foot, 50 kg reticulated python at Chester Zoo, has made a full recovery after undergoing electrochemotherapy for a recurring cancerous jaw tumour. The treatment is believed to be the first of its kind performed on a snake.

After surgery alone failed to prevent the fibrosarcoma from returning, Chester Zoo’s veterinary team worked with cancer specialists at the University of Liverpool to adapt the treatment from human medicine. It combines the chemotherapy drug bleomycin with controlled electrical pulses, helping the drug enter cancer cells more effectively.

Several months after treatment, Jodie is cancer-free and has returned to normal feeding and hunting behaviour. The team plans to publish the case to support the development of similar treatments in veterinary medicine.

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