The Bushmaster Conservation Project / CRWild/ Herping

The Bushmaster Conservation Project

Our conservation efforts continue in order to ensure scientific research and protect the habitat

of critically endangered species.

ABOUT

The Bushmaster Conservation Project is a CRWILD conservation program under the supervicion of H.E.R.P. Conservation program and the first in-situ conservation program to promote conservation in order to ensure scientific research and protect the habitat of critically endangered species.

La Plato Negro "Lachesis melanocephala".

What we do ?

The Black Headed Bushmaster Conservation Project is a conservation program founded by CRWILD and supervise by the bushmaster consevation project founded by: (H.E.R.P.).
It is an effort to protect and understand the Black Headed Bushmaster (Lachesis melanocephala) in its natural habitat in the South Pacific region of Costa Rica.

The effort has been set in motion by five passionate naturalists, devoted to protect and study their favorite snake genus, the Bushmaster.
The project is housed in the Biological Research Station, located in the middle of the primary rainforests of the Kéköldi Indigenous Reserve.

Meet The Team

Cristian Porras Ramirez

Scientific Director

Founder, Managing Director and Photography Director

Laura Ruysseveldt

Product Manager

Laura is a Belgian herpetologist, specialized in snake ecomorphology, ethology and public education.
She is the founder of the Herpetological Education & Research Project (H.E.R.P.) in Belgium

Greivin Corrales Chavez

Product Manager

Greivin is considered one of the major Bushmaster experts in Costa Rica. He works as a herpetologist/toxinologist in the Instituto Clodomiro Picado and has been keeping and breeding Lachesis sp. for years.

César L. Barrio-Amorós

Scientific Director

Scientific director and photographer

Spanish herpetologist who dedicated his life to the understanding and conservation of nature.

Bryan Minne

Product Manager

Bryan is a herpetologist specialized in lizard ecomorphology, snake ecology and captive management of herpetofauna.

Aarón Gómez Argüello

Product Manager

Aarón is the curator of the Serpentarium within the Instituto Clodomiro Picado. He is responsible for a major part of the research conducted towards the production of antivenom within the institute.

Ecology

Tracking the Black Headed bushmasters

Behavior

The behavior of wild bushmasters is relatively unknown.

Conservation

Since bushmasters are still subjected to poaching and habitat loss, protecting them and their environment is of the utmost importance.

Ethology

Due to the rarity of sightings in the wild, bushmaster behavior is scarcely understood. Following wild specimens and studying their behavior can help us shed some light on the ethology of these snakes

Staying over!

The Bushmaster Conservation Project is surrounded by primary rainforest and home to hundreds of species of wild fauna and flora. Sloths, kinkajous, opossums, toucans, butterflies, birds of prey, spiders, scorpions, beetles, snakes, lizards and frogs all call this place home. The Kéköldi Indigenous Reserve is one of the most biodiverse regions of the country, an area that every naturalist will enjoy to the fullest. Anyone can visit the Research Center and even stay the night. Traditional meals are prepared for you on the spot by the kitchen staff, wild hiking trails are plenty and naturalists guides are at your disposal to guide you in roam the forests.

Learn all there is to know about the plants growing in the jungle on a jungle hike, go bird watching on the watch tower, aid students and scientists in their data collection or simply relax in the hammocks while looking at the canopy.

Price per night/person:

Foreign visitor: $55 (including 3 meals + drinks)
Domestic visitor: $32 (including 3 meals + drinks)

TRACKING

We understand that many people dream of seeing a wild bushmaster in its habitat. Witnessing this species in the wild can be a very exhilarating experience. Since our project is studying wild bushmasters and are regularly tracking them, we have the wonderful opportunity to show you these animals in their natural habitat!

It is possible to join a tracking activity with our researchers, in order to try and locate one of our registered bushmasters. Your visit directly contributes to funding the project and its work. We thank you for considering going out tracking with us!

But... it is important to keep some things in mind.

ATELOPUS VARIUS PROJECT

We are focused on discovering and monitoring populations of Atelopus varius in Costa Rica, So far, we have data of 3 years and writing a paper on it. New explorations lead to check viability of recent sight in different areas of the country.

ESTABLISHING A PRIVATE RESERVE FOR ATELOPUS CONSERVATION

This project goes hand in hand with the previous one, and is to buy 40 hectares of pristine cloud forest in a critical border area to assure the protection of the habitat of this species and all the rest in the area.

THE BUSHMASTER AS FLAGSHIP SPECIES FOR CONSERVATION

Through interviews to locals in rural regions we can define better the areas of presence/absence of this magnificent and endangered species.

We visit rural communities and give talks trying to change the “killing all snakes” mentality and making them economically viable via Biotourism.

DESCRIBING 5 NEW AMPHIBIAN SPECIES FROM COSTA RICA

Cryptic diversity is common among conservative organisms widely distributed.

In Costa Rica, we are studying five of such cases, where isolated populations considered already named, are deeply divergent morphological and genetically. Field studies plus genetic samples are not cheap.

MAKE A DONATION

Nowadays, with our main financial source (Biotourism) totally cut off by the world COVID-19 crisis, we ask for people’s appeal and donations

to continue our effort in conservation

while we cannot rule out any tours.

If you agree with us in the necessity to act soon and our projects reach your interest,

even a small contribution can make the difference.