16th January 1888
BioParque do Rio
(Rio de Janeiro Zoo, Brazil) After a trip to Paris in the 1870s, businessman João Batista Viana Drummond was impressed by the urbanism of that capital at the time and, as a friend of Emperor Dom Pedro II , acquired the former Fazenda dos Macacos from Princess Isabel for 120 contos de réis in 1872 , in the current neighborhood of Vila Isabel, implementing a large urbanization project that would culminate, on January 16 , 1888 , in the inauguration of a zoo. In the same year, the businessman received the title of Baron of Drummond. An animal lover , he had authorization from the empire to import them, keeping specimens of various species in his residence . In this way, he installed the first modern zoo in the city and in the country (it is believed that he was still inspired by his trip to Paris) in a park with streams and artificial lakes.