Rio de Janeiro Zoo (Vila Isabel) in Brazil


Rio de Janeiro Zoo (Vila Isabel)
Local name Jardim Zoológico de Vila Isabel
Typezoo
Owner 1870-: João Drummond
Founded1870
Opened for public1888
Closed down1945
Address Vila Isabel
Place Rio de Janeiro
District North Zone
Country Brazil
Directors
Key People
Veterinarians
Elephant department
Head keepers
of elephants
Elephant keepers
Record history
History of updates2023-08-20
Latest document update2023-08-20 12:52:14
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Description

Rio de Janeiro Zoo (Vila Isabel), located at Vila Isabel, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , was founded in 1870, opened for public in 1888. Rio de Janeiro Zoo (Vila Isabel) closed down in 1945.


Comments / pictures

Founded in 1870 by João Batista Viana Drummond, Baron of Drummond, in his estate at Vila Isabel neighborhood, with the permission of Emperor Pedro II. To fund his enterprise, he promoted a raffle, selling tickets with pictures of each one of the 25 animals. The baron would select randomly one animal at the closing of the zoo. The winning ticket would get a prize in cash. That game of chance eventually got copied by gamblers, becoming the illegal lottery called jogo do bicho.

The Vila Isabel zoo closed its doors in the 1940s. It was relocated to Quinta da Boa Vista, in 18 March 1945.

Wikipedia



Rio\'s second zoo was located in Vila Isabel until it was closed in the 1940s. The first elephant held there was Bosco, a male Indian elephant which most likely came from the wild. He died in 1893 and was sent to the National Museum by the baron of Drummond, his owner.

Topsy, Vila Isabel\'s second elephant, known for its Intelligence. He was a male and died in 1914 six days after swallowing a sheet. In the same year, he killed one of his keepers, a 26 year old man born in Germany named Richard Nines. Before this accident, he killed someone else, but their gender is unknown. I believe Topsy had his origins in India and was wild-caught.

The last elephant held in Vila Isabel was a female named Helena. I have no information about her, but she was definitely at this zoo between 1927 and 1936. She was put to work in the 1930s because the zoo needed extra money since it was going bankrupt.

Enzo Henriques

References for records about Rio de Janeiro Zoo (Vila Isabel)

Recommended Citation

Koehl, Dan (2024). Rio de Janeiro Zoo (Vila Isabel), Elephant Encyclopedia. Available online at https://www.elephant.se/location2.php?location_id=3697. (archived at the Wayback machine)

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