upon returning to rio de janeiro, he acquired an old farm in vila isabel and launched a massive urbanization project which finally culminated in the inauguration of the country's first modern zoo.

dom pedro ii, king of brazil at the time, granted drummond title of baron after the zoo's opening - the king authorized him to import animals from all over the world into brazil and financially supported his endeavor.  

a true animal lover, drummond maintained in his residence a series of rare and diverse species.

while drummond's initial enthusiasm was enough to sustain the zoo throughout the early 20th century, as the years passed the lack of public interest created financial issues.

in fact, once brazil became a republic the baron could no longer financially support the maintenance of the zoological gardens.