Photo from Bronx Zoo / Facebook
For those skipping chocolates and roses this Valentine’s Day, the Bronx Zoo is offering a more quirky option: naming a cockroach after someone special.
The zoo is promoting the unexpected gesture as a fundraiser to support animal care and conservation. While couples can dedicate a roach to their partners, the campaign also welcomes the broken-hearted and bitter, inviting anyone with strong feelings to take part.
In a social media post, the Bronx Zoo teased the promotion with the caption, “What has six legs, two antennae, and so much love? Valentine’s Day is scuttling across the floor towards you once again.”
They added, “That’s right. Love is in the air, and there’s no better time than right this second to name a Bronx Zoo Madagascar hissing cockroach after your special someone.”
Donations range from $5 to $70, depending on the package selected. Contributors receive a digital certificate they can share or keep, along with optional upgrades such as plush toys, beanies, and even virtual encounters with their named roach.
The Bronx Zoo launched the “Name-A-Roach” fundraiser in 2011, and it quickly became a hit. The idea has since been adopted by other zoos across the country, including the San Antonio Zoo in Texas, the Birmingham Zoo in Alabama, and Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo.