THE former chief executive of Dudley Zoo said although he was giving up “the best job in the world”, it was the right time to retire.

Peter Suddock, aged 68, announced he was leaving the zoo today (Friday), shortly after it was revealed he had been suspended on full pay pending an internal investigation about his “conduct of certain affairs of the zoo”.

Mr Suddock has not commented on the investigation but in a statement, he said: “Twenty-two years ago I accepted the challenge to investigate the future of an ailing Dudley Zoo.

"Back in 1993 we saw just 150,000 visitors through the turnstiles, the animal collection was in need of a major boost, staff morale was low and the run-down site was losing money and on the verge of closure.

"I intended to stay two years, attempt to turn the business around and move on – totally unaware of the all-consuming passion of one of the country's most-loved tourist attractions.”

He said there had been “many testing times” but added: “My commitment to the charity's work remained at the forefront and this extraordinary role became a way of life and one of the best jobs in the world.”

Mr Suddock continued: "Three years ago I achieved a dream by securing £1.15million Heritage Lottery funding for the restoration of four of the site's Tecton structures.

"This work and the transformation of the site is almost complete, and, along with some 300,000 visitors and our daily social media news bulletins, is serving to put Dudley Zoological Gardens on the word class tourist map.”

He concluded: "I shall miss being part of a dedicated team and the daily pleasure of seeing some of the world's rarest species, and am immensely proud to have helped create a flourishing tourist attraction with a bright future, but at 68 it's time to retire, pursue other interests, and hand over the reins of this truly unique site to its next custodian."