Feeling lonely on Valentine’s Day? Name a cockroach after an ex and feel better

Single and feeling a little lonely on Valentine’s Day, then why not name a cockroach or rat after an ex and feed it to an animal to make you feel better? No, we’re not kidding and it’s more common than you think.

Naming a cockroach after a former lover is the brainchild of San Antonio Zoo in Texas. The zoo allows people to name cockroaches after their former partners.

The annual Valentine’s Day custom at the zoo aims to raise funds for wildlife conservation in Texas and worldwide. By donating US$5-US$25, you can name a cockroach after your ex-partner and get a digital Valentine’s Day card, reported CBS News.

The zoo also lets donors symbolically name a rodent or vegetable after their former partner. The ex will receive a notification that a roach has been named after them, maybe making them reflect on being a bad ex.

San Antonio isn’t the only place offering ways for people to express their feelings toward their ex on Valentine’s Day. The Bronx Zoo provides a “name a roach” program with optional cockroach-themed gifts for the ex.

At El Paso Zoo, named cockroaches are fed to animals.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science and the Florida Aquarium offer downloadable roach-themed cards. Lehigh Valley Zoo provides the option to name feeder crickets that are fed to animals, along with interesting animal facts.

The Toronto Zoo offers the adoption of a roach named after the former lover, as well as the option to adopt a penguin couple as a gift for a loved one.

Roses are red; violets are blue… Is there someone in your life that’s bugging you? Give them goosebumps by naming a cockroach in their honour this Valentine’s Day ❤️

For more information or to symbolically name-a-roach: https://t.co/maFh8siDB5 🪳 pic.twitter.com/ZdB8EfUSjD

— Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy (@TZWConservancy) January 15, 2023

For those who don’t want to name bugs after their ex, Maui Humane Society and Berkeley Animal Center in South Carolina offer the chance to name a litter box after them. Maui Humane Society sells the naming of a litter box for US$10 or an entire box for US$100, and the cats take care of the rest.

In Wales, Business Waste allows people to submit their ex’s name for a chance to have it printed on a garbage bin.

Over the years, various wildlife centres, zoos, and businesses have found unique ways to celebrate or get revenge on exes. In 2019, Wildlife Sydney allowed people to name a snake after their ex for US$1, with proceeds going towards conservation.

That same year, Wildlife Images Rehabilitation and Education Center allowed people to name salmon after their exes before they were fed to bears.

In 2021, Richmond Wildlife Center offered the chance to name a mealworm, beetle, superworm, or waxworm after an ex for US$2, which would then be fed to an animal in their care. A US$5 donation allowed for the naming of a hornworm or nightcrawler after a “truly terrible ex.”

What are you waiting for? Name an ugly bug after a former lover and make you feel better. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Name a cockroach after your ex for Valentine’s Day https://t.co/zPly4f6DVP pic.twitter.com/6uIhserfnh

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) February 14, 2023