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There are always the standard Valentine’s Day gifts of chocolate or flowers, but for a truly special person in your life, why not give them a gift that they’ll truly remember: A roach!
Once again this year, the Bronx Zoo is bringing back its popular “Name-A-Roach” program that lets romantic New Yorkers symbolically name one of its 50,000-plus giant Madagascar hissing cockroaches just in time for V-Day. As a wise woman once said, the heart wants what it wants.
For a $15 donation, your naming rights will come with a colorful certificate that’s emailed to your roach’s namesake. If you want to go the extra mile for your loved one (or your less-than-loved ex) you also have the option to purchase “the works” this year for a $75 donation. That will hook you up with the aforementioned printed certificate as well as other roach gifts including a lovely, warm beanie cap, a mug and even a crazy roach pin!
“The Bronx Zoo’s Name-A-Roach promotion is a light-hearted, fun way to reach out to someone on Valentine’s Day to let them know that you are thinking about them,” said John F. Calvelli, WCS Executive Vice President of Public Affairs. “Nothing lasts longer than a roach, so it could be sent as a symbolic gesture about how long your love will last or exactly the opposite. Some might say that love is like a roach – elusive, resilient, and sometimes very scary.”
Since launching in 2011, Name-a-Roach has resulted in thousands of formerly anonymous roaches being given the gift of a name and thousands of hopeless romantics being given the gift of a very good story to tell their friends.