With radiation, snake's nearly his old self

The ugly gray tumor that marred the anaconda's sleek yellow scales is not so ugly anymore.

In fact, it's almost gone.

Six weekly doses of radiation seem to have done the trick for Sir Mix-A-Lot, a 61/2-foot snake at Wilmington's Brandywine Zoo. At least for the time being.

University of Pennsylvania veterinarians first examined the patient back in the spring, and found he had squamous-cell carcinoma. Radiation treatments began in mid-July.

The goal was not necessarily to cure the cancer, but to shrink the snake's two-inch tumor enough so that he could live out his normal lifespan - perhaps another five years for the 30-year-old reptile.

It's too soon to gauge his long-term prospects, but the vets are optimistic.

Oncologist Lili Duda says the tumor had shrunk dramatically by the time she administered the last treatment.

"To the naked eye, it almost looked like it was completely resolved," Duda says.

High-energy radiation had never been tried on an anaconda before, apparently, so the vets were not sure how well it would work. They hope to do a follow-up MRI to see if the snake's insides look as good as the surface.

In the meantime, Sir Mix-A-Lot - named for the rap star - is back to eating his standard diet of dead rats, says zoo director Nancy Falasco. Zookeepers have e-mailed photos of him to the vets in Philadelphia, where he'll soon get a checkup.

While the radiation shrank the tumor, it hasn't improved the snake's disposition. Grumpy he was, and grumpy he remains.

"He's still not always in the best of moods," Falasco says. "That's normal for him."

- Tom Avril