The Bronx Zoo wants you to ditch flowers and chocolates this Valentine’s Day and Name a Roach.
The zoo’s annual roach adoption program is back, promising a timeless gift that will “remain thriving and triumphant.”
Whether done with sincerity or with snark, the naming of the four-inch-long Madagascar hissing cockroach is a … unique gift to say the least.
For $15, you can name it anything you want, and you’ll get a certificate saying that you’ve paid good money to do so. If you pay $75, you’ll get “The Works”: a “Roach Broach” pin, a beanie with a roach front and center and a mug that may have you do a double take while it sits in your sink.
There are several packages that range from $30 to $75, which depend on what you want along with your roach.
“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 Calvelli, the Wildlife Conservation Society 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.”
While you won’t get an actual roach, it’s good to know what you’re buying into. Madagascar hissing cockroaches are the world’s largest of their species and they hiss as a defense mechanism. In other words, these aren’t your run-of-the-mill kitchen roaches.
If you want a good look, check out the zoo’s “Madagascar!” exhibit, which has lemurs, crocodiles, and other animals from the African island country.
When you name your roach, don’t be afraid to get personal. Thousands of people have named them after a loved one, an ex, a mother-in-law, politicians, celebrities and more — “the possibilities are limitless,” the zoo says.
The program, which is in its eighth year, is meant to help the Wildlife Conservation Society further its mission to save wildlife in New York and around the world.
For more information, visit the bronxzoo.com/roach.
