South Africa Once Paid a Baboon to Operate Railroad Signals

Quick Take

• One man's career-ending railway accident sparked a solution so unconventional it looks like folklore, and yet the evidence is hard to argue with. See how Jack was trained →
• Jack didn't just assist with the job. In fact, the railway company's official response to his abilities went further than anyone would expect from a 19th-century government employer. Read about Jack's official hire →
• A single passenger's horrified complaint triggered an investigation that could have ended everything, though it did not go the way the executives had planned. See the investigation unfold →

Animals often thrive on routine and consistency. For example, if you skip your pet dog’s usual walk time, you’ll notice the pup becomes unsettled. Animals are often good at the jobs we give them, too. Take Jack the signalman, likely the only baboon railroad worker in history. Trained by his owner, James Wide, Jack’s story would almost look like folklore without some evidence of its authenticity.

Not many monkeys start life as a household pet before transitioning into a fully competent, salaried employee of the government rail company. Jack, however, defied expectations and proved to be a competent signalman. Let’s learn more about this baboon and how his story exemplifies the capabilities of animals when they operate within a structured, reinforced framework.

A Necessary Pet

The story of Jack the baboon begins with his future owner, James “Jumper” Wide, who worked for the Cape Town-Port Elizabeth Railway service in what is now South Africa during the late 19th century. Wide, who worked in the town of Uitenhage, earned his nickname “Jumper” for his skill at leaping between moving railcars. Unfortunately, this talent led to an accident in which he fell under a moving train, resulting in the loss of his legs. Desperate to keep his job, Wide fashioned makeshift wooden prosthetic legs and a small trolley to get around. The company agreed to keep him on as a signalman, but his employment status remained precarious.

One day at a local market, Wide found a solution in the form of a chacma baboon who was leading a farmer’s ox wagon. Wide managed to persuade Jack’s owner to give him the baboon, though he was warned that Jack would sulk all day unless given a “tot of good Cape brandy.” A consummate worker, Jack soon learned how to transport Wide around on the man’s trolley. Jack even made work enjoyable, preferring to jump into the trolley with his owner during downhill sections. Jack eventually learned to perform Wide’s signalman duties. He figured out how to switch the railroad tracks based on signals from incoming train drivers: one, two, or three blasts meant Jack should switch the lines accordingly, while four blasts signaled him to fetch the key to the coal shed for the driver.

Jack’s consistent and competent performance earned him the nickname ‘Jack the Signalman.’

Word Spreads

One day, a woman riding the train noticed a baboon changing the rail tracks as her train entered the station. Alarmed, she reported the incident to the railway company. Upon receiving the report, the company’s executives assumed the story was untrue. After some convincing, however, they sent a delegation to see exactly what was happening at the Uitenhage station. They arrived to find Jack the baboon hard at work.

Jack’s owner challenged the officials to test the baboon as rigorously as they wished. Jack passed every test, safely switching the rail tracks and checking both directions for confirmation. Shocked but satisfied, the railway company made Jack a bona fide employee, paying him 20 cents a day and half a bottle of beer each week. They even gave him an employment number. Jack the baboon truly became Jack the Signalman.

The Legend Endures

After several years of exemplary service—during which he never made a mistake—Jack died of tuberculosis in 1890. His skull still sits in the Albany Museum in Grahamstown, South Africa. Although many people may find this story hard to believe, several primary sources attest to Jack’s abilities as a railway worker. A Cape Mercury newspaper article published on May 29, 1923, includes an interview with Wide and written statements from 25 witnesses. This story raises the question: What other kinds of jobs could baboons perform with the right training?