The story of Jack the Babboon

Jack the baboon was the pet and assistant of double leg amputee signalman James Wide. James, who worked for the Cape Town to Port Elizabeth Railway service. James “Jumper” Wide as they called him, had been known for jumping between railcars until an accident where he fell and lost both of his legs at the knee.

After his recovery from the accident, James needed someone to help him in his daily work. To assist in performing his daily duties, Wide purchased Jack in 1881 and trained him to push his wheelchair and to operate the railways signals under his supervision.

An official investigation was initiated into the bizarre story after someone reported that a baboon was observed changing railway signals at Uitenhage near Port Elizabeth. After initial skepticism, the railway company decided to officially employ Jack once his job competency was verified.

He was paid twenty cents a day and half a bottle of beer each week. It is widely reported that in his nine years of employment with the railway company, Jack never made a single mistake.

Jack died of tuberculosis in 1890. His skull can be found in the collection of the Albany Museum in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. (Photo was digitally recolored)