For most people, the image of animal welfare activism involves petitions, demonstrations, fundraising campaigns or legal challenges
It rarely involves marathon swims across open water or stepping off a mountain wearing a wingsuit.
Yet for Turkish athlete Alper Sunaçoğlu, physical endurance and animal advocacy have become closely intertwined. Over the past several years, he has emerged as one of the most recognisable public figures within Turkey’s street animal movement, using a series of highly visible challenges and symbolic acts to draw attention to the fate of free-roaming dogs and cats.
An Athlete Drawn To Public Causes
Long before he became associated with street animal advocacy, Sunaçoğlu was known for endurance sports and ambitious physical challenges. He developed a reputation for undertaking demanding swims and athletic feats that attracted public attention.
Unlike many athletes, however, his sporting achievements were often connected to wider social messages. Physical endurance was not simply an individual pursuit. It became a way of communicating ideas, attracting media coverage and engaging audiences beyond the world of sport.
Over time, this approach would become central to his activism.
The Street Animal Debate
The issue that would eventually define much of Sunaçoğlu’s public profile was Turkey’s long-running debate over street animals.
For decades, millions of dogs and cats lived freely in Turkish towns and cities. Municipalities, animal welfare organisations, veterinarians and citizens often disagreed on how these populations should be managed, but the principle of coexistence remained a visible part of daily life across much of the country.
As concerns about public safety, population growth and municipal responsibilities increased, the debate became increasingly polarised.
For some, the priority was reducing the number of animals on the streets. For others, the focus remained on sterilisation, vaccination and community-based care.
It was within this environment that Sunaçoğlu became more actively involved.
Turning Endurance Into Advocacy
Unlike welfare organisations that provide veterinary treatment, operate shelters or run sterilisation programmes, Sunaçoğlu’s contribution took a different form.
He used visibility.
Over the years, he participated in a series of public actions designed to keep attention focused on street animals. Long-distance swims became opportunities to raise awareness. Public appearances became platforms for advocacy. Sporting challenges became vehicles for a message.
His activism was built around a simple idea, if people were willing to watch an extraordinary athletic achievement, they might also listen to the reason behind it.
The approach was unusual, but it helped distinguish him from many other voices within the movement.
Symbolic Protest
As Turkey’s street animal debate intensified, Sunaçoğlu’s actions became increasingly symbolic.
One of the most widely discussed examples was his swim connected to Hayırsızada, the island associated with the 1910 removal of thousands of dogs from Istanbul. For many animal advocates, the island remains a powerful historical symbol.
The action was not intended as a practical intervention for animals. Instead, it was a statement about memory, history and the fear that lessons from the past could be forgotten.
The symbolism was deliberate.
Throughout his activism, Sunaçoğlu has frequently chosen actions that create visual images capable of travelling far beyond the people physically present to witness them.
Hunger Strike And Public Opposition
When Turkey’s street animal legislation became one of the country’s most contentious animal welfare issues, Sunaçoğlu again chose a highly visible form of protest.
He announced a hunger strike, arguing that stronger action was needed to draw attention to the concerns of animal advocates.
Supporters viewed the protest as evidence of the depth of feeling surrounding the issue. Critics questioned whether symbolic actions could influence policy.
Regardless of opinion, the protest demonstrated a recurring pattern. Rather than speaking only through statements or interviews, Sunaçoğlu repeatedly used personal sacrifice and physical endurance as part of his message.
The Wingsuit Jump
Most recently, Sunaçoğlu carried out a wingsuit jump from the 3,524-metre summit of the Bolkar Mountains.
In his public statement, he described the jump as a protest against cruelty towards street animals and what he viewed as official silence in the face of their suffering. He said the action was intended to be a voice for those who could not speak for themselves.
Animal welfare campaigns are often associated with reports, investigations, demonstrations and fundraising appeals. A wingsuit jump from a mountain summit belongs to an entirely different world.
Yet for Sunaçoğlu, it was consistent with a strategy he has followed for years, using extraordinary physical acts to keep attention focused on a cause he believes risks being overlooked.
A Different Kind Of Activist
Movements are often made up of people performing very different roles. Some gather evidence. Some provide care. Some challenge laws. Some organise communities. Some document events. Others create moments that attract public attention.
Sunaçoğlu appears to have chosen the latter role.
His activism is built on the belief that visibility matters. That people cannot respond to problems they do not see. And that sometimes an extraordinary act can force a conversation that might otherwise fade from public view.
More Than An Athlete
Alper Sunaçoğlu’s story is not simply the story of an athlete who became interested in animal welfare. It is the story of someone who transformed endurance into a form of advocacy.
In a movement shaped by lawyers, veterinarians, rescuers, sanctuary operators, campaigners and volunteers, he occupies a unique position. Rather than caring for animals directly or challenging policy through formal institutions, he has used his own physical achievements to keep attention focused on an issue he believes deserves to be seen.
His journey reflects the intensity of feeling that surrounds Turkey’s street animal debate and illustrates the many different ways people choose to fight for causes they believe in.