If you are passionate about venomous snakes and the tropical areas that they inhabit, please consider making a difference by supporting the conservation of the world´s largest viper, the Chocoan Bushmaster (Lachesis acrochorda).

We need funding to continue monitoring this remarkable species for another year. Since the project began in December 2023, we have collected valuable information about the Bushmaster. We have conducted 15 training sessions with local communities in the Choco region, where this species resides, and trained community members as field assistants to help monitor the species in its natural habitat.

Using camera traps, we have documented the interactions of this snake with its potential prey, predators and other vertebrate species. Our goals include gaining a better understanding of how the Chocoan bushmaster selects habitat, studying its reproductive behavior, and hopefully witnessing the birth of its young in the wild - a phenomenon that has never been recorded or studied in its natural environment.

After a year of tracking a female released in the Choco, we now aim to equip two additional specimens with radio transmitters and continue our research for another year. It is not too late to help protect this iconic species from indiscriminate killing and persecution, which often arise from fear, in northwestern Ecuador - a biodiversity hotspot in one of the most diverse countries in the world.

This project is led by an Ecuadorian NGO, with over 35 years of experience in conserving Ecuador’s reptiles and amphibians.

We ask for your support to help Ecuadorian scientists, women researchers, and local community members continue this vital work. Follow us to stay updated on the progress of this important project for snake conservation.

We have partnered with Save the Snakes, a sister organization in the United States that empowers people and institutions who are passionate and committed to a vision of snake conservation that focuses on community-based conservation strategies to protect threatened snake populations and mitigate human-snake conflict. Thanks to the support of this organization, we have strengthened education and outreach programs and connected with like-minded individuals to create networks to support snake conservation around the world. This partnership has made it possible to finance the project in Ecuador.

Thanks for your support!