West of England's metro mayor Dan Norris and a 'giant rat' with Cupid wings are set to protest against experiments on animals conducted by the University of Bristol.
Norris, who is head of the West of England Combined Authority, will stand outside the Wills Memorial Building on Queens Road tomorrow (February 9) alongside an activist from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) who will be dressed as a rat.
The protest is aimed at stopping the university from carrying out "forced swim tests" on rats.
READ MORE: 'Rat man' seen thrashing around water tank in protest against University of Bristol animal testing
The experiment involves placing rats, which may or may not have been dosed with a substance, into inescapable beakers of water to test the time it takes for them to stop swimming and start floating.
The tests are conducted to research depression and other mental health conditions in humans, and the university says it is "committed to a culture of care where animals are treated with compassion and respect."
But metro mayor Norris says the tests have been proven as "irrelevant" in studies of human depression.
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He said: "Forcing frantic animals to swim for fear of drowning is cruel, and studies show it is irrelevant to depression in humans. I join PETA in urging the University of Bristol to reconsider the forced swim test and stop tormenting gentle animals in this outdated experiment.”
The PETA activist will wear a rat costume decked out in Cupid wings and carrying a bow and arrow, which the animal rights group says can be considered an "early valentine" for the university's vice-chancellor Hugh Brady.
And PETA's senior campaigns manager Kate Werner said: “It takes a cold heart to torment a vulnerable rat. PETA is calling on the University of Bristol to drop these near-drowning tests in favour of modern, animal-free research methods that might actually help human patients.”
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PETA protesters have carried out a sustained campaign against the university for more than a year, which has included stunts like putting a 'giant rat' inside a tank of water in Queens Square, and sending an activist dressed in an inflatable dinosaur costume to stand in Broadmead.
A University of Bristol spokesperson said: “As a research university, we are committed to a culture of care where animals are treated with compassion and respect.
“We are in regular conversation with the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction and Animals in Research (NC3Rs) and the Home Office, as well scientific societies and academic colleagues, so we can keep up to date with the latest thinking on all aspects of research using animals.
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“We have ethical review processes in place which look at each research project individually to provide constructive feedback and to ensure that the most refined and appropriate methods are being used.
“We acknowledge that some people have concerns about the use of animals in research, but we also recognise that research involving animals is vital for advances in medical, veterinary and scientific knowledge to improve our understanding of health and disease and the lives of both animals and humans.”
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