Drusillas Zoo Park
Encyclopedia
Drusillas Park is a small 10 acres (4 ha) zoo
near to Alfriston
, in East Sussex
, UK.
The zoo is home to many exotic wild and domestic animals, perhaps most famously ring-tailed lemur
s, meerkat
s, and penguin
s. There are lots of hands-on activities, a large adventure play area separated for different age groups, a huge indoor soft play centre and a Thomas & Friends train that runs daily. There is also a fully licensed restaurant offering a wide choice of freshly prepared hot and cold food, cafés and shops. Everything is targeted towards children aged between about 2 to 10.
s including crested black macaques , Brown Capuchin monkey
s, Colobus Monkeys and Lar gibbon
s. Other residents include small cats called serval
s, African crested porcupine
s, endangered Rodrigues fruit bats, Asian short claw otter
s, llama
s, Humbolt penguins, parrot
s, and flamingo
s. There is also Pet World, Lemurland, a small farmyard and a walk-through lorikeet aviary is due to open by May 2011.
There's a 'Zoolympics challenge' where children can compare their abilities (to drag, hang on, jump, shout, run, and hold their breath) against a variety of animals, and record them in a booklet given free at the entrance. There are also 'stamp books' that you can stamp using tick shaped stamps found around the enclosures.
The huge adventure play area is crammed full of swings, slides and climbing walls and has been separated into Go Bananas! for under 6s and Go Wild! for older children. There's also a large indoor soft play centre with a cafe selling drinks and snacks, perfect for parents to sit and watch the kids play and ideal for rainy days. The new interactive maze, Eden's Eye, is also great fun for children who love discovering the different worlds helped along by a series of clues and mythical creatures.
In accordance with the well-loved stories, the railway track has been themed and a Thomas passenger train offers daily rides from Tidmouth Hault and travels through the llama paddock,. As well as Thomas, Annie and Clarabel visitors can also see James in the engine shed, Cranky at the Sodor dockyard, along with Diesel, Bulgy and the Fat Controller around the track.
Drusillas was rated the number one attraction in the UK by The Times in February 2010
Drusillas was recommended by The Guardian in their article 'Things to do with the Kids' in March 2010
Drusillas won the Sussex Business Awards 'Business of the Year' and 'Best Customer Service' in 2009 - 2010
Drusillas was voted 'Best Day Out in East Sussex' by Sovereign Radio and Arrow FM listeners in 2008
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
near to Alfriston
Alfriston
Alfriston is a village and civil parish in the East Sussex district of Wealden, England. The village lies in the valley of the River Cuckmere, about four miles north-east of Seaford and south of the main A27 trunk road and part of the large area of Polegate...
, in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, UK.
The zoo is home to many exotic wild and domestic animals, perhaps most famously ring-tailed lemur
Ring-tailed Lemur
The ring-tailed lemur is a large strepsirrhine primate and the most recognized lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of five lemur families. It is the only member of the Lemur genus. Like all lemurs it is endemic to the island of Madagascar...
s, meerkat
Meerkat
The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan"...
s, and penguin
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
s. There are lots of hands-on activities, a large adventure play area separated for different age groups, a huge indoor soft play centre and a Thomas & Friends train that runs daily. There is also a fully licensed restaurant offering a wide choice of freshly prepared hot and cold food, cafés and shops. Everything is targeted towards children aged between about 2 to 10.
Animals and Attractions
In the last few years, the zoo has increased its number of animal exhibits but still maintains a policy of only having smaller animals - so for example there are no lions or tigers. The zoo has a good range of primatePrimate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
s including crested black macaques , Brown Capuchin monkey
Capuchin monkey
The capuchins are New World monkeys of the genus Cebus. The range of capuchin monkeys includes Central America and South America as far south as northern Argentina...
s, Colobus Monkeys and Lar gibbon
Gibbon
Gibbons are apes in the family Hylobatidae . The family is divided into four genera based on their diploid chromosome number: Hylobates , Hoolock , Nomascus , and Symphalangus . The extinct Bunopithecus sericus is a gibbon or gibbon-like ape which, until recently, was thought to be closely related...
s. Other residents include small cats called serval
Serval
The serval , Leptailurus serval or Caracal serval, known in Afrikaans as Tierboskat, "tiger-forest-cat", is a medium-sized African wild cat. DNA studies have shown that the serval is closely related to the African golden cat and the caracal...
s, African crested porcupine
Porcupine
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
s, endangered Rodrigues fruit bats, Asian short claw otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
s, llama
Llama
The llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since pre-Hispanic times....
s, Humbolt penguins, parrot
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
s, and flamingo
Flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...
s. There is also Pet World, Lemurland, a small farmyard and a walk-through lorikeet aviary is due to open by May 2011.
There's a 'Zoolympics challenge' where children can compare their abilities (to drag, hang on, jump, shout, run, and hold their breath) against a variety of animals, and record them in a booklet given free at the entrance. There are also 'stamp books' that you can stamp using tick shaped stamps found around the enclosures.
The huge adventure play area is crammed full of swings, slides and climbing walls and has been separated into Go Bananas! for under 6s and Go Wild! for older children. There's also a large indoor soft play centre with a cafe selling drinks and snacks, perfect for parents to sit and watch the kids play and ideal for rainy days. The new interactive maze, Eden's Eye, is also great fun for children who love discovering the different worlds helped along by a series of clues and mythical creatures.
Thomas & Friends
In 2007 Drusillas Park became the first UK attraction to introduce a permanent Thomas & Friends train ride after securing a long-term deal with rights owners, HIT Entertainment.In accordance with the well-loved stories, the railway track has been themed and a Thomas passenger train offers daily rides from Tidmouth Hault and travels through the llama paddock,. As well as Thomas, Annie and Clarabel visitors can also see James in the engine shed, Cranky at the Sodor dockyard, along with Diesel, Bulgy and the Fat Controller around the track.
Awards & Accolades
Drusillas won the Tourism South East Visitor Attraction of the Year Award 2010 -2011Drusillas was rated the number one attraction in the UK by The Times in February 2010
Drusillas was recommended by The Guardian in their article 'Things to do with the Kids' in March 2010
Drusillas won the Sussex Business Awards 'Business of the Year' and 'Best Customer Service' in 2009 - 2010
Drusillas was voted 'Best Day Out in East Sussex' by Sovereign Radio and Arrow FM listeners in 2008