UK’s leading charity zoo, opened 1931; 51ha site with 160ha holdings; no government funding
Chester Zoo reports that Jodie Foster, a 23-year-old reticulated python, has recovered after electrochemotherapy was used to treat a jawbone fibrosarcoma. The 90‑minute operation involved two joined operating tables, heated blankets and a collaboration with Liverpool veterinary specialists. A final check shows no signs of recurrence and the snake is eating normally again.
The Doctor Who screenwriter has spoken about his husband Andrew Smith’s death from glioblastoma in 2018. He says caregiving was hard but he would have done it for 50 more years. Smith and Davies were together 20 years, married in 2012, and Davies is dating Oliver Cole. Davies will publish a memoir about his career this year.
Edinburgh Zoo has welcomed a pygmy hippo calf born on July 31 to Gloria and Otto. The gender is pending health checks; the calf is bonding with its mother in private, away from public view, while keepers monitor its early development.
The Japanese macaque Luka has fled his Highland Wildlife Park home near Kingussie overnight, triggering a search with thermal-imaging drones. Public are urged not to approach; sightings should be reported to the listed number. A 2024 escape by a monkey from the same park is recalled in background.