Baboon Jack, who went to fight after the owner and became a hero of World War I

The devotion of animals to their owners knows no bounds, some of them cannot bear the separation and are even ready to go after a man to war. It's not just about dogs or cats, our story today is about a baboon named Jack.

Albert Marr lived on his farm in South Africa when he once stumbled nearby on a cub baboon abandoned by his parents. He felt sorry for the baby and decided to take it to him. The baby turned out to be extremely smart and succumbed to training, so he soon became a universal favorite. A few years later, World War I broke out and Albert had to go to the front. However, he could not leave Jack, the thought of separation was unbearable. Then he appeared at the recruiting station with him and asked that the baboon be allowed to go with him. Surprisingly, the answer was yes. They were sent to the North of the mainland and there began the military adventure of a monkey and a man in the British army.

A smart animal quickly mastered the soldier's life: it went out to the building together with everyone, did not miss physical training classes, washed dishes, and in its free time lit up pipes for colleagues and entertained them with various tricks. Everyone loved Jack and even sewed him a small military uniform with a slot for the tail.

In the winter of 1916, their regiment took part in a serious and fierce battle. Then Albert was first shot in the shoulder, but his faithful monkey was nearby and struggled to cover him from bullets, simultaneously licking the wound. The orderlies found them like that, and the fame of a selfless monkey began to spread. Jack became the local mascot, and his master soon recovered. The baboon even had a very important role - he was sent to night watch. With sharp eyesight and hearing, he could hear and see the danger that others did not see, and warned everyone with a special sound.

Albert Marr received the next wound two years later in Belgium, he was again slightly wounded in the arm, but his pet suffered much more in that battle. With a splinter, his hind leg was almost torn off. The kid tried to repeat after the soldiers and erect a stone defense around him, but this did not help. His master grabbed him in his arms and tried to deliver him to the hospital as soon as possible, but there they did not encounter treatment of animals. An unusual patient needed an emergency operation, but how to calculate the dose of anesthesia? The doctor took a chance, because otherwise Jack had no chance to survive. He was euthanized with chloroform and his limb amputated. Soon, the brave baboon came to his senses.

In 1918, the regiment was demobilized and the soldiers went to England. Among them was the famous three-legged Jack and his master. Photos of the amazing monkey soldier flaunted in all the newspapers, he became the most famous pet in the whole country and the first baboon to receive the award. Soon, Albert and Jack returned to their farm in Africa. However, the life of a baboon did not last as long as we would like. Military injuries could not but affect his health, after some time he died of a heart attack and was buried with all honors.