Ohio zoo treats snake with skin cancer
POWELL, Ohio (WCMH) – A snake with skin cancer is getting a unique treatment at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and it seems to be making a full recovery.
According to officials with the zoo, the state-endangered plains garter snake received the treatment after services were donated by a regional pet cancer treatment facility.
The treatment provided a way for the snake to continue to breed and restore the state’s wild population of the native reptiles.
The plains garter snake is one of four garter snake species in Ohio and the only one that’s endangered.
The radiation treatment was provided free of charge by MedVet Medical & Cancer Centers for Pets, and officials said the female snake would have likely died without it.
After her treatment she successfully gave birth to a live litter of 12.
The female snake was one of only six breeder snakes at the Columbus Zoo.
The plains garter snake resides in tall grass prairies which have disappeared by 99 percent throughout the country.