James Helferich

Ocelot Conservation

James Helferich is pursuing a Ph.D. in Wildlife Science at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University – Kingsville. He is advised by Dr. Lisanne Petracca and his research focuses on using a variety of techniques to estimate population densities (including scat collection, camera traps, and spatially explicit capture-recapture) of ocelots in South Texas.

James received his B.S. in Wildlife Science in 2019 from State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY. He received his M.S. in Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture in 2023 from Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS where he studied conservation threats to the endangered Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake. James has also worked for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Big Game Unit and served as an AmeriCorp member in Chattahoochee National Forest, GA.