The frantic hunt for school shoes, the last-minute search for missing water bottles and that horrible moment when you discover the uniform you bought in July no longer fits can only mean one thing – it’s back-to-school time!
And it seems the children aren’t the only ones getting ready for the new term.
The young residents of Drusillas Park in Sussex have been joining in the traditional first-day-of-school photo fun, with the zoo’s adorable ‘Class of 2026’ showing off their very own school jumpers.
From a tiny two-month-old Colombian black spider monkey to bouncy young lemurs, the animals were dressed for the occasion – although, much like human children, getting everyone to cooperate for the camera proved rather tricky!
Some struggled to sit still, others were more interested in investigating their new uniforms, and a few simply decided that posing for photographs wasn’t on their agenda.
Meet Drusillas’ Class Of 2026
Five-month-old lemur Hector was clearly excited about starting the new term. Unfortunately, his enthusiasm extended to his school jumper, which he decided to have a little nibble before finally settling down for his photograph.
Twin brother Gilbert, meanwhile, appeared considerably less impressed by the prospect of school and made a quick escape into the lemur habitat.
Four-month-old saki monkey Ramito wasn’t quite ready to leave Mum Twiggy’s side for his first-day photograph, preferring a cuddle instead.
Luckily, his three-year-old dad Pires was happy to lead by example, proudly posing in his jumper and showing Ramito exactly how a school photograph should be done. Perhaps a future prefect in the making?
Then there was four-month-old Goeldi’s monkey Obi, who had seemingly decided that burning off some end-of-summer energy was much more important than standing still for a photograph.
While human children might return to school with slightly wild hair after the summer holidays, Obi had no such problem. His thick, dark locks were looking remarkably immaculate.
Say hello to baby Shakira
The Park’s newest arrival, two-month-old Colombian black spider monkey Shakira, wasn’t going to miss out on the first-day photo fun either.
The tiny youngster sweetly posed alongside her teeny-tiny school jumper while staying close to mum Jamundi.
It’s perhaps one of the cutest ‘first day of school’ photographs you’re likely to see this September.
Not everyone was ready to follow the school photo rules…
Elsewhere, Phoebe, one of Drusillas’ meerkat mob, was far more interested in investigating her smart new jumper than posing in it.
Ever the inquisitive meerkat, she gave the blue top a thorough inspection before eventually pausing long enough to show it off.
Penguin March also had his own ideas about following the school photograph rules. Rather than standing still, he preferred to waddle away and explore.
After a little persuasion, however, March eventually stopped long enough to show off his jumper.
And then there was Halina the sloth, who was intrigued enough by the new jumpers to reach out and investigate.
The jumpers look remarkably similar to the uniform worn by Drusillas staff – although it’s fair to say the animals have given them a rather different spin!
A fun way to mark the return to school
Zoo Section Leader Jacinta Dawe said:
“Back-to-school time is always an exciting and sometimes chaotic moment for families, so we thought it would be fun to include our animals in the tradition again this year.
“This time, it was all about the school jumpers, and just like children, some of our animals were more than happy to pose, while others had other ideas!
“It’s a fun way to mark the end of the summer holidays while giving visitors a glimpse of the individual personalities of some of our younger animals.”
2-for-1 tickets to extend the summer fun
If your children are suffering from the back-to-school blues, there is good news.
Drusillas Park is launching a 2-for-1 ticket offer, giving families the chance to extend the holiday fun just a little longer.
For a limited time, two visitors can enjoy Drusillas for the price of one when tickets are pre-booked in advance.
Find out more and book your 2-for-1 tickets here.
Located just off the A27 in Alfriston, Drusillas Park is open daily from 10am.
For more information, visit www.drusillas.co.uk or call 01323 874100.
And if your own children have had their first-day-back photographs taken, don’t forget to share them – although we’re guessing there probably won’t be quite as many escape attempts as there were at Drusillas!
To see the full album of Drusillas’ animal ‘first day of school’ photographs, visit the park’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
