Regardless of how the marooned foreigners were saved, Mr Datjarranga also remembered that when they left the island, one passenger was not taken with them - Jimmy.

Other reports state Calvert knocked back RAAF assistance once it finally arrived on Elcho Island and that the vessel was eventually towed to Darwin by Navy tug. Jimmy the monkey was there in a steel cage.'Īccording to varying reports, Calvert called the Australian Navy for help but the SOS was initially knocked back due to a belief that the magician was performing another one of his pranks. Mr Datjarranga still remembers running down to his island home's beach and seeing the Sea Fox on its side. The daring crew was set to make star-spangled headlines upon their arrival, however early into its journey the Sea Fox ran aground just off Elcho Island in the remote tropical region of East Arnhem Land. He puts his arms around me and kisses me.' A monkey is marooned on Elcho IslandĪfter leaving Darwin on the Sea Fox, Calvert, Jimmy and the rest of the crew sailed east towards Queensland with intentions of heading south to Sydney. 'I raised him from a baby and I love him very much,' he said. It is unclear how Calvert ended up with the animal, however the magician did tell ABC reporters in the 1950s that he had owned Jimmy for much of the chimpanzee's life. More diva than monkey, Jimmy was known for off-screen antics, from demanding the odd banana to drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes.

Oakland zoo jimmy smoking chimpanzee