The Bronx Zoo is offering the opportunity to name a Madagascar hissing cockroach for your valentine – a tradition that dates to 2011.
It’s
part of its Name-a-Roach gift package that includes a tumbler, tote bag
and a virtual Bronx Zoo animal encounter with a live hissing roach.
“The
tongue-in-cheek Valentine’s Day gift comes with a colorful certificate
emailed to your loved one announcing that a cockroach has been named in
his or her honor,” the zoo announced in a release.
The tumbler, tote, encounter and certificate will set you back $75. Just the original digital certificate is $15.
The zoo says it has “plenty of roaches to name with thousands of the super-sized bugs on exhibit.”
“Madagascar
hissing cockroaches, reaching nearly four inches long, are the world’s
largest roach species. The namesake hissing noise is emitted as a
defense mechanism. Unlike nearly every other roach species, Madagascar
hissing cockroaches are not considered pests and rarely enter homes,” it
says.