Shari Wilcox FN’24

Dr. Sharon (Shari) Wilcox is a cultural geographer and conservation social scientist working in wild cat conservation. She has dedicated her efforts to the study, conservation, and restoration of the native wild cat species that call the U.S.-Mexico borderlands home, including the jaguar, ocelot, and jaguarundi. Dr. Wilcox serves as the Senior Texas Representative for the environmental nonprofit organization Defenders of Wildlife where she leads Defenders’ ocelot conservation program in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and is a member of the organization’s jaguar conservation team.

Dr. Wilcox received her Ph.D. in Geography from The University of Texas at Austin. She holds appointments as a Professor of Practice in Geography and Sustainability at the University of Texas at San Antonio and a Lecturer in Geography at the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Wilcox’s work has been featured in the Washington Post, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Scientific American, Nature, and on National Public Radio. She is the co-editor of the book, Historical Animal Geographies (2018), and has written a number of scholarly articles and book chapters examining contemporary and historical interactions of humans and wild cats in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. Her research has received support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Social Science Research Council, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Books

Wilcox, S., and S. Rutherford. Historical Animal Geographies. New York and London: Routledge.

Articles in Refereed Journals

• Sanderson, E.W., J.P. Beckmann, P. Beier, B. Bird, J.C. Bravo, K. Fisher, M. Grigione, J. R. B. Miller, C. Mormorunni, L. Paulson, J. Polisar, T. Povilitis, M. J. Robinson, S. Wilcox. “The case for reintroduction: the jaguar (Panthera onca) in the United States as a model.” Conservation in Science & Practice.

• Sanderson, E.W., K. Fisher, R. Peters, J.P. Beckmann, B. Bird, C. Bradley, J.C. Bravo, M. M. Grigione, J.R. Hatten, C. Lopez-Gonzalez, K. Menke, J. R. B. Miller, P.S. Miller^, Cristina Mormorunni^, J. Robinson, R.E. Thomas, S. Wilcox. 2021. “A systematic review of potential habitat suitability for the jaguar (Panthera onca) in central Arizona and New Mexico, USA.” Oryx. 1-12.

• Wilcox, S. “Savage Jaguars, King Cats, and Ghostly Tigres: Affective Logics and Predatory Natures in Twentieth Century American Nature Writing.” Professional Geographer 69(4): 531-538.

• King, B. and S. Wilcox. 2008. “Peace Parks and Jaguar Trails: Cross Border Conservation in a Globalizing World.” GeoJournal 71(4): 221-231.

Articles/ Op-Eds

• Don’t Destroy Earth on the Way to Mars. Mongabay. 2023. Link.
• In South Texas, watch out for ocelots crossing roads. Mongabay. 2023. Link.
• Conserving a Ghost Cat. Edge Effects. 2022. Link.
• Is it time to rethink jaguar recovery in the U.S.? Mongabay. 2021. Link.
• It’s not too late to support the ocelot. Valley Morning Star. March 11, 2020. Print edition.
• Texas has 60 ocelots left. Let’s save them. Houston Chronicle. May 21, 2019. Link.

Interviews- Print

• Texas ocelot breeding and reintroduction may offer new route to recovery. Mongabay. November 21, 2023. Link.
• Ocelots Once Roamed the U.S. Can We Bring Them Back? National Geographic. October 5, 2023. Link.
• Does the roar of rocket launches harm wildlife? These scientists seek answers. Nature. 2023. Link.
• The controversial plan to bring jaguars back to the US. Vox. October 12, 2021. Link.
• Groups Call for Reintroduction of Jaguars in US Southwest. AP News. (Story ran in 200+ national and international newspapers including Washington Post, The Guardian, and Smithsonian.) May 16, 2021. Link.
• A New Home for Jaguars in the Southwest? Santa Fe New Mexican. May 23, 2021. Link.

Radio Interviews

• Starship’s third launch clears atmosphere but not environmental concerns. March 14, 2024. NPR. Link.
• Protecting the wild ocelots that call the Rio Grande Valley home. Texas Standard. Texas Public Radio. March 7, 2023. Link.
• Big Cats in the Borderlands: Jaguars Have Returned to the American Southwest. Marfa Public Radio. December 16, 2021. Link.
• Newly Discovered Ocelots in Texas Bring Researchers Hope for the Endangered Population. Texas Public Radio. June 23, 2020. Link.