Not feeling the love this Valentine’s Day? Still bitter about your breakup? Well, it doesn’t have to be the most romantic day of the year. Feel free to turn it into Getting Revenge on My Ex Day!
Or, if you like, Quit Bugging Me! Day, inspired by El Paso Zoo. Their anti-Valentine’s promotion runs Feb. 14-16 and was such a huge hit last year that it’s bigger and better for 2020.
The premise is very simple … and very satisfying. You name a cockroach after your ex, and during the “Quit Bugging Me!” promotion, the cockroaches will be fed to a whole host of hungry animals, including meerkats, primates and birds.
There’s even a feeding schedule on the zoo’s Facebook page.
Concerned about the cockroaches and other animals? El Paso Zoo is quick to assure guests that the procedures used are ethical and part of its behavioral enrichment program.
“Zoo animals are regularly given enrichment to keep them stimulated both mentally and physically,” the zoo wrote on its Facebook event page. “Madagascar hissing cockroaches are ethically frozen and given to insectivores as determined by our zoo veterinarian staff. Insects are a normal part of these animals’ diets, in captivity or the wild. While in our care, we try to replicate this as much as possible.”
To get involved, just submit the name of your ex to the zoo via the online form. Unsurprisingly, the names are flooding in already. (Some people are even asking on Facebook if they can submit more than one). The zoo has warned that any name they read out during their stream (yes, they’ll live-stream the event on their social media pages) will be at random, but they will use all names to decorate the animals’ exhibits.
There’s no fee to submit a name, but the zoo would appreciate a small donation. Let’s face it — it could be the cheapest yet best Valentine’s Day you’ve ever had. To add to the fun, the El Paso Zoo Director, Joe Montisano, will eat a cockroach for every $1,000 raised.
This type of event is actually becoming something of an international trend; a zoo in England started a similar event for Valentine’s Day 2019 and is doing it again this year. It all started, though, with the Bronx Zoo, which has been allowing people to name insects for their exes since 2011. Here’s their Instagram promotion for this year’s event at @bronxzoo:
Currently, you can do it there for a $15 donation and if you pay more you can also get roach-themed gifts — except some of the packages are already sold out this year.
Other zoos that offer cockroach naming in February 2020 include San Antonio Zoo in Texas and Brookfield Zoo in Illinois, which posted this at @brookfield_zoo on Twitter.
Valentine's Day is a time when we celebrate the love we have for one another. But what about those whose love has been spurned? #BrookfieldZoo now offers you the chance to #NameACockroach in honor of that un-special someone in your life. Learn more at https://t.co/wfp89ts72T pic.twitter.com/9K3DM7p6Bt
— Brookfield Zoo (@brookfield_zoo) January 23, 2020
Does this sound like a great way to celebrate Valentine’s Day or what?
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for other great tips and ideas to make the most out of life.
