Want to celebrate Valentine’s Day a little differently in Upstate New York? You can name a cockroach after an ex and watch it get eaten.
The Via Aquarium in Schenectady, N.Y., is offering a limited number of slots for scorned lovers to name a cockroach after “a special someone.” The bug will then be fed to one of the aquarium’s reptiles and filmed for your viewing pleasure.
To participate in the Cockroach Feeding Experience, purchase a cockroach for $1 at viaaquarium.com by Friday, Feb. 13, at 10 a.m. Senior reptile keeper Randy will do the feedings between 5-5:30 p.m. Friday, so participants can enjoy the videos on the Feb. 14 holiday.
“The feeding will be recorded and shared so you can watch your special ‘roach over and over,” the aquarium said.
According to the New York Post, a number of other zoos, aquariums and animal habitats do similar “Name-A-Roach” events for Valentine’s Day to raise money for their programs. The Wildlife Conservation Society estimated more than 60,000 roaches have been named after former partners or even pop culture celebrities, raising roughly $1 million since the Bronx Zoo started the stunt in 2011.
“Skip the chocolates! Love has six legs this year,” the Bronx Zoo joked on Facebook.
Others with similar fundraisers include the San Antonio Zoo in Texas, the Birmingham Zoo in Alabama, and the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago.