Sultan Abdulhamid II who ascended the throne in 1876, preferred to stay in Yıldız because of various reasons. Sultan transformed the pavilions and mansions that existed in Yıldız into a palace complex, where he collected a large collection of botany and zoology in the gardens he created. Many species of animals have been housed in many kinds of cages and poultry in various places of the Yıldız Palace gardens where landscaping has been completed with plant species provided by different parts of the world and garden elements such as pools, bridges, glazes, greenhouses and arbores. Diversified living creatures whose care and administration were provided by animal and plant hospitals established within the palace was at a level that could compete with the examples in Europe and Russia. In the memoir books about the period of Abdulhamid II, Sultan’s interest in animals is mentioned and they emphasize the zoological nature of this curiosity. Reflections of this situation on Ottoman archival documents point to many aspects of Abdulhamid II’s activities related to animal raising. 

In this study, kushane, arslanhane, ceylanhane, geyikhane, sulunluk, barn and other animal places built in Yıldız during Abdulhamid II period are mentioned. Based on the Yıldız Palace records and Hazine-i Hassa registrations, the kinds and number of animals, duties, salaries and numbers of zookeepers are revealed. So, the activities of Abdulhamid II regarding this issue are put forward along with concrete evidence. The organizational structure and income-expenditure data is evaluated. Besides the many species of animals that Abdulhamid II brought from various parts of the world both to satisfy his personal curiosity and to exhibit them, it is clear that many species of animals that gave the place a quality of the farmhouse establishment in Yıldız were used for different purposes. For example, food of animal origin of the palace was supplied from this garden. Apart from the hobby side and the economical business activity of animal raising in palace gardens, it is also clear that it had a place in the political and cultural politics of the Sultan. Activities such as rare species sent to heads of state as gifts, establishment of relations with foreign institutions such as zoological gardens, contact with foreign zoologists and veterinarians, sharing the experience gained in the palace garden over the whole country, the accumulation of materials in the field of zoology support this idea.  

Abdulhamid II had obtained an accumulation of knowledge during this activity. He also had attempts to apply this experience and knowledge in different areas of the state affairs or to carry into effect different ideas. It can be said as a result of his interest in pigeons that he revived the practice of the Messenger pigeon. He made researches conducted on the use of dogs, in which he was interested in later, in health care, warfare, and the police force and also wanted sources to be examined. Besides, Abdulhamid II had also a museum collection of rare species of plants and animals. In this sense, he had the birds and other animals, which he wanted to be included in his collection, embalmed in eczâhâne-i hümâyûn. The latest example to show Abdulhamid II’s ultimate engagement in animals is his order given to the doctors in the palace for an artificial leg for a canary with a broken leg in the harem-i hümâyûn bird house. It was thought upon the doctor’s suggestion that an artificial leg made of platin string in tamirhâne-i hümâyûn or a leg of an embalmed canary in the museum might be transplanted. Although we do not have any information about the results of such forward looking ideas, these are important notions to show us the level of such people who are engaged in the animals in the Yıldız Palace. 

When the total number of numerous animals which were brought from various places and raised in the Yıldız Palace is calculated in, the number of poultries regarding the first years is around 3,000. The numbers grew apace in the following years of Abdulhamid II’s reign. According to a list, thought to belong to 1881, while the number of animals in the Yıldız Palace is 3.092, the number is 949 in other bird houses, apart from those in the palace. Moreover, it is seen according to a detailed register book of 1887 that the number of animals in Yıldız raised to 4.543 and the total number in Beşiktaş, Beylerbeyi, Ayazağa and Kağıthane bird houses became 2.128. With regard to this, %70 of the 6.671 kuşluk-ı hümâyûnlar animals were in Yıldız. This rate marks the balance between the bird houses as it is very close to the rate of bird house care takers

Abdulhamid II, who was a very decent farm operator as a Şehzade as well, used the opportunity of generating an income from the animals in kuşluk-ı hümâyûn. Milk collected from cows, buffalos, sheeps and goats in Yıldız Palace and other barns was utilized in this regard and met the need for butter, yogurt, slip and raw milk. On the other hand, excess products were sold to be used in the kitchens of different institutions. In 1896, butter machines were brought from London and installed in the garden of the palace. Again, from London, egg incubators were imported, and Padishah established a factory for the production of hen, chicken and other poultries. He also made it possible to meet the need for red meat as well well white meat and egg within the palace. Because, it would be very expensive to establish and economy depending on external sources to subsidize thousands of people in Yıldız’s harem, mâbeyn, quarter and other units. In this context, it is understood that animal raising in the Yıldız operated like a farm establishment within the body of Hazine-i Hassa. Compared to sultan’s early years in the throne, diversity of the Yıldız bird houses and the number of activities there in his last years were astonishing. However, after Abdulhamid II’s sudden disenthrone, his beloved gardens’ abundance which accumulated in thirty-three years rapidly declined beginning in the summer of 1909. The gardens as well as the palace itself was pillaged and only one animal, which was a white cotton cat, out of thousands could be send to Thessaloniki where padishah stayed. Abdulhamid II’s top occupation was the animals during his exile and prison life in Beylerbeyi. He tried to forget the tired and painful life which he left behind through his best memories. In conclusion, it should be emphasized that Sultan Abdulhamid II’s all these activities within the Yıldız Palace cannot be defined solely as the actions of hobby and entertainment of a ruler who preferred an isolated life within the walls of the palace. Thus, these activities carried out within the body of kuşluk-ı hümayun reveal the existence of an organized palace establishment which had socio-cultural, financial and political aspects.