🐒 The Signalman with a Tail: The Unbelievable True Story of Jack the Baboon

In the late 1800s, South Africa’s railway system had one of the most unlikely employees in history — and he wasn’t even human.

From 1881 to 1890, a chacma baboon named Jack served as an official railway signalman, earning a wage of 20 cents per day and a half-bottle of beer every Saturday. But Jack wasn’t just a novelty — he was a professional. Over his entire nine-year career, he never made a single mistake.

Jack’s journey began after a tragic accident left signalman James “Jumper” Wide without both legs. Desperate to keep his job, Wide adopted and trained Jack to help him navigate daily life — and eventually, to operate complex railway signals. Under James’ careful supervision, Jack learned the precise art of managing the tracks — a task that required sharp attention and unwavering accuracy.

Soon, Jack became a legend on the railways, his reliability earning the trust of the entire railway company. So trusted, in fact, that the railway officially hired him.

Jack passed away in 1890, but his legacy lives on. His skull is preserved at the Albany Museum in Grahamstown, South Africa — a silent tribute to the remarkable primate who outperformed expectations and proved that even a baboon could run a railroad with brilliance.