Out of all 50 U.S. states, Minnesota, Indiana, and Iowa are the only three to not have an official state mammal. Minnesota has a wide variety of wildlife to choose from including such iconic species as the black bear and moose but the most culturally significant animal in the state is the gray wolf. 



Prior to recovery, northeastern Minnesota was the last remaining place where gray wolves existed in the lower 48 states and as they began to recover they expanded their range to include Wisconsin and Michigan, becoming what is now known as the Great Lakes Wolves or Great Lakes Wolf Region. 



Gray wolves are sacred to Minnesota’s Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) people who see the wolf as having a fate intertwined with their own. The wolf plays a critical role in the Anishinaabe creation story. The wolf was seen as a teacher that showed people how to live and is viewed as a relative worthy of protection.

To most Minnesotans the wolf symbolizes the spirit of wilderness and nearly 80% surveyed said they want to protect the wolf for future generations. There is no other animal in Minnesota that has garnered such widespread support. 



Gray wolves are at the forefront of ecotourism in our state. Wolf related activities generate huge economic benefits in northeastern Minnesota. Countless tourists visit the International Wolf Center and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area every year in order to get a glimpse of a wolf.

There has been six attempts to make the Gray Wolf the official Minnesota state mammal since the year 1969. In the year 2000 Minnesota schoolchildren were asked to vote on whether they wanted the official mammal to be a wolf, white-tailed deer, or a gopher and the majority chose the wolf. Today we are asking for your help in 2021 to make their vote a reality..