COMING SOON!

 
 

Copperheads? Rattlesnakes? Cottonmouths? We can help you avoid unwanted interactions with venomous snakes in a way that benefits both you and our native wildlife.

 
 
 
 

WELCOME

My name is Brandon Bourassa. My academic interests are Herpetology, Conservation Biology, and Wildlife Ecology. My work focuses primarily on the mitigation of human/wildlife conflict, especially with regards to venomous snakes and crocodilians.

Originally from Oklahoma, I began my wildlife career as a zookeeper in the Children’s Zoo at the Oklahoma City Zoo. I was very fortunate to enjoy a lengthy zoo career, including two years at Gatorland Orlando, prior to attending the University of New Mexico for my undergraduate degree. I completed my BS in Geography at the University of New Mexico in December 2020, just in time for peak uncertainty at the height of a global pandemic. I opted to pursue my MS through a remote program, just in case attending graduate school in person became unfeasible. It turned out to be a perfect fit, with my first semester beginning the same week that I started as a Herpetologist at the ABQ BioPark. I completed my MS in Forest Resources and Conservation, along with a graduate certificate in Care and Conservation of Aquatic Animals, in December 2023.

I have also worked as an Ecological Consultant for the New Mexico Film Industry as a part of my mission to reduce human/wildlife conflict. No matter how much the film industry tries to reduce their environmental footprint, the reality is that large film productions involve large amounts of people, vehicles, and equipment invading wildlife habitat. It was my job to keep both people and wildlife safe from each other on film and television productions. Below is a list of productions for which I have provided either snake safety or on-camera reptile handling services.

 I serve as Conservation Coordinator for the New Mexico Herpetological Society, as well as a member of the Coexistence With Pitvipers Working Group for Advocates for Snake Preservation.

Thanks again for visiting the Vipera Ecological website. Keep an eye on this space for updates on business operations and interesting information. If you have any questions pertaining to reptiles, amphibians, or other wildlife, feel free to reach out to me either by using the contact page on this website or through my UF email at bbourassa@ufl.edu.

All the best,

Brandon M. Bourassa, MS

Owner/Principal Consultant

Vipera Ecological LLC

News

4/11/24 - Hi, Brandon here. Today, I filed the paperwork to form a new LLC in the state of Oklahoma called Vipera Ecological. Once we’re fully underway, we will start by providing consultation services for homeowners and businesses throughout Oklahoma to help them avoided unwanted interactions with venomous snakes. The primary address for this website will be updated to www.viperaeco.com, but the old bourassawildlife.com URL will automatically redirect you to this page. Thanks for sticking with me all these years, and I look forward to serving the people of Oklahoma and continuing my personal mission to mitigate human/wildlife conflict.

3/11/23 - It’s been a while since the last update on here, but I have a couple pieces of news to share. First, I have joined my colleague Brandon Sideleau, a crocodile specialist and PhD student at Charles Darwin University, as co-host of the CrocAttack Podcast. It is currently available only on Castbox, but will soon be on other platforms. For now, you can check it out at https://castbox.fm/channel/CrocAttack-Podcast-id5248055?country=us .

Secondly, my guide to the Venomous Snakes and Lizards of New Mexico has been published through UF/IFAS Extension and can be found at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/UW503 .

I plan to hit the road with my dog, Florence, quite a bit this year while I finish up my master’s at UF remotely. I plan to attend some Herpetology conferences and do a good amount of herping, so say hi if you see me! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram (@NomadicHerper).

4/12/20 - The COVID-19 pandemic has given us all a lot more time to think about projects that we have put off for a while, which includes updating this website.

In February, I had the honor of being featured in the cover story of the Hownikan, the monthly newspaper of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, of which I am a member. You can check out the issue here.

The City Nature Challenge is coming up April 24-27, and we want to encourage everyone in Bernalillo County to take part, keeping social distancing in mind, and make as many iNaturalist observations as possible. To help out, here is a handy checklist to the reptile species of Bernalillo County, New Mexico. How many can you find?

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Now that I have been given the time necessary, I am also going to be working on a new podcast. The first episode will cover how the animal community is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and what we can do to help. Keep an eye on the “Podcast” page and I will post an update here when it is released.

As the Newsletter Editor of the New Mexico Herpetological Society, I released the first issue of the new quarterly publication, Obscurus, on 3/1. I will begin making it available on this website, so keep an eye out for updates.

That’s all for now. Stay safe out there!

-Brandon


9/28/19 - The 2nd Annual “Build Your Refuge Day” at Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge was a big success! Visitors learned about how to turn their outdoor spaces into wildlife refuges and had the opportunity to meet some native reptiles that we provided.

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9/22/19 - Brandon was featured in a story on Albuquerque’s KOB 4. Take a look at the video below!

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.- Brandon Bourassa is no stranger to the sound of a rattlesnake. As a wildlife consultant, taking care of those unwanted guests helps him pay his bills. "They call us snake wranglers," Bourassa said. "I prefer the title wildlife consultant because we deal with way more than just snakes."