EL PASO, Texas (NewsNation Now) — If you’re looking for closure with a former flame this Valentine’s Day, a Texas zoo is here to help in an unusual way.
The El Paso Zoo will let you name a cockroach after your ex and then will feed it to a meerkat as part of its annual “Quit Bugging Me” event on Valentine’s Day.
People can go to the zoo’s website and name a cockroach. All names submitted will be displayed anonymously and the zoo will only display first names.
This year the zoo has expanded and will have more than the meerkat mob chow down on bugs. Iguanas and skinks are expected to be included as well. And don’t worry, your ex may not have been good for you but the cockroaches are good for the animals.
“Zoo animals are regularly given enrichment to keep them stimulated both mentally and physically. Madagascar hissing cockroaches are ethically frozen and given to insectivores as determined by our zoo veterinarian staff,” the zoo said in a statement. “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.”
There is no fee to submit a name but you can donate to the zoo. But as a special treat, select staff members will eat a cockroach for every $1,000 donated.