Sussex woman ‘who lived at zoo’ celebrates 40 years working at Drusillas

Many children around the world would likely say that to live in a zoo would be a dream come true – and for one six year old from Sussex it did come true, when her family lived at Drusillas Zoo Park more 50 years ago. Today she celebrates a 40-year milestone in her career, at that very same zoo.

Zoo Business Manager, Sue Woodgate, began her career at Drusillas in 1984, starting out as a Junior Keeper at 17 years old when she was ‘handed a bucket and told to go and muck out the lemurs’ with little to no idea what she was doing. But her deep connection to animals and the much-loved visitor attraction began far earlier, when her parents moved her and her brother from Kent to Sussex, taking residency in caravans in the zoo car park.

“I have known Drusillas since I was six,” explains Sue. “My father came to Sussex to work at the zoo with the rare breeds of cattle and my mother worked in the bakery, and to begin with we lived on site until we found a house. It was a great experience for my brother and I to live at a zoo, I think it’s every child’s dream! It certainly sparked a lifelong love of animals in me and is a big part of the reason I am still here today.”

Since her first day on the job four decades ago, she has cared for thousands of animals and worked her way up from Zoo Apprentice, to Zookeeper, Head Keeper, and then Animal Manager, before taking on her current senior management role in 2018.

As the longest standing member of staff at the park, Sue is quite the Drusillas institution, but she can’t actually claim the title of being there longest. That honour belongs to three of the zoo’s resident flamingos – Maurice, Florencia, and Ana - who just pipped Sue to the title, having lived there since 1982!

“40 years sounds like a long time, but it’s gone so quickly” says Sue. “I’ve enjoyed each of my roles because they’ve all been so varied, and I’ve always worked with great people and (even greater) animals. We aren’t supposed to have favourites here, but I must admit a capuchin monkey named Barney stole my heart along the way, and I had a really special bond with Humboldt penguin Peter – he had been hand-reared and so imprinted on humans, I was the penguin keeper when he arrived so he saw me as family and I adored him.”

“In my current role as Zoo Business Manager, I deal with the law, legislation, animal imports and exports and the vast amount of paperwork needed to run a zoo,” she continued. “It’s a more office-based role but it’s such a vital part of the operation and it’s a privilege to take a lead in maintaining our very high standards.”

“I miss spending time with the animals, but I do avoid things like being tripped up by a penguin and falling into the pool in front of hundreds of visitors - definitely one of my more embarrassing moments.