Simpson’s Surgery: Beloved ZooMontana gray wolf undergoes second brain surgery [Video]

BILLINGS — ZooMontana’s beloved wolf Simpson, who was found abandoned by his pack in 2020, is gaining major attention following his second brain surgery.

He’s recovering at ZooMontana, separated from his “brother from another mother”, Onyx.

A photo of Onyx (left) with a photo of Simpson edited in (right)

Onyx and Simpson are a special pair, brought together under unique circumstances.

“Simpson was found abandoned by his pack (in 2020). (Fish, Wildlife and Parks) did an amazing job of looking for his pack. They knew exactly what pack he was from. Couldn’t find the pack,” said Jeff Ewelt, the executive director of ZooMontana, on Thursday. “We brought in Onyx specifically to be a buddy with Simpson.”

Jeff Ewelt

Simpson was taken to ZooMontana where he originally thrived. But after a few months, the zoo started noticing some strange behavior that led them to examine the young wolf.

Simpson as a young wolf pup

“After a couple of months, (we) started noticing …