A woman is set to run naked through a Spanish town to reveal the cruelty of bullfighting.

Lynzi Waddington will join 1,000 animal activists in a run through the streets of Pamplona, Spain, to highlight what she describes as the country's brutal tourist attraction.

The annual occasion, Running of the Nudes, staged by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, runs two days before the Running of the Bulls, which attracts thousands of people from many countries.

As part of nine-day celebrations honouring the city's patron saint, San Fermin, the bulls run for three minutes for half a mile through town to the city's bullring, where each bull fights a matador.

The tradition, dating back to 1591, started out as a way to move the animals through town to sell at the market and has grown in popularity over the years.

Miss Waddington, 21, of Oaklands, Brighouse, claims the bulls are mistreated and is keen to draw attention to the issue by wearing nothing more than a red scarf and plastic horn on July 5.

She said: "I do not want to go naked but if it means saving animals then I will. This is a festival of cruelty. We urge everyone to stay away from bullfights. It's no fun to see an innocent animal tormented before a screaming crowd who should be hanging their heads in shame. A lot of people go to see the bull fights in Pamplona and they do not realise that at the end of every fight the animals are slaughtered."

Miss Waddington said the campaigning event, which has been going for four years, is aimed at showing people there is an alternative.

She said: "They use tradition as an excuse in the same way as the English did with fox hunting. It needs to end.

"We are going to prove there is an alternative without abusing animals. We want to get another festival going and get rid of the old one."

Spanish opposition to bull fighting is mounting with cities and towns such as Barcelona, Torello, Calldetenes and Olot banning the sport.

Miss Waddington said: "I do think we will get a ban. Five years ago no one was doing this, but it has been doubling in size every year. It takes a few people to stand up."

Miss Waddington has been involved in animal rights demonstrations and fundraising events for several years.

e-mail: nishika.patel@bradford.newsquest.co.uk

A CONTRVERSIAL PASTIME

Bullfighting has always been a controversial topic.

Sympathisers with the sport cherish it as an essential part of Spanish history and the nation's culture.

It is seen as a sacrificial ritual with a strong emphasis on the bravery and nobility of the matador who will conduct his fight honourably and artistically.

However, those pushing to ban it, say it is a cruel sport, in which bulls are debilitated with tranquillisers or beatings and blinded by having petroleum jelly rubbed in their eyes.