Valentine’s Day can be a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to the public’s opinion. On the one hand, some people have the pleasure of sharing Valentine’s Day with a significant other. On the other, some despise even the day they met their former significant other, which can sour the holiday dedicated to love.
For people whose love lives have left a bitter taste in their mouths, zoos across the U.S. have a recipe to help them swallow some of those hard feelings come February 14.
For only $5, Zoo New York is now offering the opportunity to name a cockroach after your ex and have it fed to the zoo’s animals on February 13 in a virtual event they’re calling “Love Bites.”
For an extra $5, you can elect to receive a picture of your ex’s namesake.
Or, if you have $50 laying around, you can pay for the privilege to feed the cockroach to the zoo animal yourself.
The form to sign up includes a field where you can detail exactly how your ex did you wrong.
“Get the closure you need and support a wonderful cause at the same time,” Zoo New York said, adding that people can purchase and name as many cockroaches as they like.
“I have a couple of people I’d name roaches after,” JoLynne Bad Hawk of Poplar, Montana, told The Dallas Express.
The Erie Zoo in Pennsylvania is holding a similar event virtually until the 14th, with two cockroach species to choose from: the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach for $5 or a Caribbean Giant Cockroach for $15.
Both choices come with access to a private link where you can download a custom Valentine’s Day card.
If you spring for the slightly pricier cockroach, the name you submit will be displayed on a plaque next to the Caribbean Giant Cockroach exhibit in the Children’s Zoo Adventure Center. Think of it as one big, group name tag.
“Choose your preferred cockroach and name it after your bug-a-boo, best friend, intrusive ex, or perhaps that someone you just can’t get rid of,” the zoo said. “All proceeds from this fundraiser benefit the animal care at your Erie Zoo.”
“Yo, big high five to the Erie Zoo for this,” Tanya Womack, a Pennsylvania resident, told The Dallas Express. “I’ll gladly donate and support.”
If you are a Texan and want your cockroach named and fed to animals a little bit more locally, the San Antonio Zoo is hosting their third annual “Cry Me A Cockroach” virtual fundraiser through Valentine’s Day.
Guests can donate $10 to name a cockroach, $5 to name a vegetarian option that will be fed to the herbivores, or $25 to name a rat that will be devoured by one of various possible birds, reptiles, and mammals.
All donations come with a certificate showing your support and a video of your cockroach, rodent or leafy green being fed to one of the animals.
New this year, you can upgrade your donation to $150 to have your video personalized with a voiceover mentioning the name of your ex as their namesake is being eaten.
