Reconstructing the history and demise of the red wolf in Alabama: Insights from examining historical records and cultural perspectives

What we did: We collected approximately 400 archival newspaper publications, management documents, articles, and books, along with photos, to assess and recontextualize the historical ecology of the red wolf (Canis rufus) in Alabama using a social-ecological lens. Why we did it: There is a growing movement to decolonize ecological research and wildlife conservation using social-ecological dimensions. Under this context, this paper fills a critical knowledge gap concerning culture, values, attitudes, and behaviors toward the red wolf. What we found: European colonization of the southeastern United States (US) resulted in a significant social-ecological shift that replaced Indigenous positive value orientations for the red wolf with European negative value orientations, contributing to the wolf’s extirpation as an ultimate cause, alongside proximate causes such as deforestation. Why it matters: The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Red Wolf Recovery Program aims to better incorporate human dimensions into its efforts to restore red wolf populations to the eastern US. Understanding historical and cultural conflict, as well as social-ecological dynamics can assist USFWS in its current stakeholder engagement to achieve more equitable stakeholder involvement in red wolf recovery. What is next: By implementing social-ecological frameworks to reform stakeholder engagement as it is currently practiced, the USFWS Red Wolf Recovery Program could increase engagement with non-European American communities and pursue broader ideological diversity among European American constituents for more equitable community involvement in its management of red wolves.