Every year around Valentine’s Day, the same wacky trend resurfaces: zoos that let you name a cockroach after your ex, or even compost animal poop in their honor.
As strange as it sounds, these programs are real, wildly popular, and are designed to raise money for wildlife conservation. Who wishes NJ zoos did this?
Here’s a look at what zoos are doing around the country this Valentine’s Day season:
The Bronx Zoo: Name a Roach
Bronx, New York
Name a Madagascar hissing cockroach for your special someone. Or go the extra mile and also order a mystery box, which includes two randomly selected gifts (socks, a beanie, a crossbody bag, a plush or a tumbler, all decorated with roaches), a certificate with their roach’s name, and a Valentine’s Virtual Encounter on February 13, 14 or 15 where they’ll see the roach and other surprise animal guests.
Birmingham Zoo: Name a Roach
Birmingham, Alabama
Mark a relationship gone wrong by naming a roach after your ex. Let go of your former flame, and you’ll get a digital Certificate of Naming, a cockroach fact sheet, and inclusion on the Cockroach Naming Window at the entrance to the zoo.
Brookfield Zoo Chicago: Name a Cockroach
Chicago, Illinois
Sure, you can have a penguin make a cameo as a lovely Valentine’s Day gift, but maybe you would rather symbolically name a cockroach in honor of someone special, or not-so-special, in your life. You’ll get a Certificate of Naming that can be shared with the recipient, plus the names will be hung on the Cockroach Naming Board at the Hamill Family Play Zoo.
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium: Name a Worm
Columbus, Ohio
Superworms are the favorite meal for Heiderose and Randhir, the zoo’s two beloved sloth bears. Before the worm becomes a snack, name it after someone you dislike, something that challenged you over the past year, or just because it’s been one of those days. You’ll receive a digital valentine and a video of Randhir savoring his snack.
Louisiana Nature Center: Name a Roach
Louisville, Kentucky
Each name you want to throw under the bus – or feed to a turtle – includes a personalized certificate and video of the cockroach being eaten.
Maryland Zoo: Dollars For Dung
Baltimore, Maryland
If you’ve got a stinky person in your life, this fundraiser lets you name a pile of elephant poo after said ex, all while supporting conservation for species like the Panamanian golden frog or African penguins.
Minnesota Zoo Foundation: Name a Bug
Minnesota
The program will reopen in February, letting you name a bug after someone you love, or someone who grosses you out. The bug will be fed to an animal at the zoo, such as a golden lion tamarin, chameleon, opossum or turtle.
San Antonio Zoo: Cry Me a Cockroach
San Antonio, Texas
Their Cry Me a Cockroach fundraiser is open to adults 18 and older so you can turn heartbreak into conservation action. Name a roach – or rat, or veggie – which will then be fed to one of the animals at the zoo.
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