Bhubaneswar, Aug. 23: After undergoing treatment for more than 11 months, a nine-feet long Burmese python was discharged in the Nandankanan zoo today.

A veterinary doctor at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (QUAT), who was treating the injured snake, said for first the time such a long medical treatment was given to a python.

The snake had an 11-cm long wound on its body. "It was a challenge for the team of doctors as there is only one report of scientific literature in the world on a relatively smaller wound on a boa constrictor snake that healed within 20 months," said Indramani Nath, director of teaching veterinary clinical complex, OUAT.

OUAT doctors have been successful in treating a larger wound in 10 months.

Last year, the python was rescued in fishing net in an injured condition in Puri. "It had deep wounds on its body while it was trying to come out of the net," said secretary Snake Helpline, Subhendu Mallick.

The helpline members brought the snake to OUAT after rescuing it from Bira Ramachandrapur village in Sakhigopal in November.

During the period of treatment, adequate scientific restraining was required for wound-dressing, feeding, basking, bathing and sanitation, which were successfully handled by volunteers of Snake helpline.

"The snake recovered fast because we tried to give it a natural environment. But due to the wound it was unable to have food so it was forced fed artificial chicken fortified with multivitamins and minerals," he added.

The python was also given live prey like rabbit, guinea pig and mouse after the wound started healing. According to a source, it has been rehabilitated in the zoo, as a python may not survive too long in captivity.

In March, OUAT doctors rescued a cobra trapped in a beer can. The 5-ft long cobra was saved after a surgery at the varsity.