San Antonio Zoo will name a cockroach or a rat after your ex-lover and feed it to the animals this Valentine's Day
- San Antonio Zoo has offered to name cockroaches and rats to be fed to its animals after people's exes.
- For the 'Cry Me A Cockroach!' fundraiser, patrons can donate $5 to name a cockroach and $25 for a rat.
- This year the most popular name requested is Donald.
A zoo in Texas has offered to name the cockroaches and rats that will be fed to its animals after people's exes this Valentine's Day.
As part of San Antonio Zoo's second annual 'Cry Me A Cockroach!' fundraising event, patrons can donate $5 to name a cockroach or, for the first time, pick a veggie option for the herbivores. For $25, they can name a rat to be devoured by a variety of birds, reptiles, and mammals to eat.
The animals will feast on pre-frozen rats and the cockroaches, sourced from professional breeders.
The most popular name submitted for cockroaches and rats was Donald, while the most popular for leafy greens was Rodney.
The event proved a massive success when it debuted in 2019.
More than 5,000 people from 25 countries named cockroaches and rats, and the zoo posted special Valentine's Day videos to mark the unique celebration.
One video showed Komodo dragons being fed rats. The zookeeper passed the carnivorous lizards the rats, to be gobbled down whole.
"We're putting some names on these rats and having fun with it," he said. "That looks like your eating John," he said as he spooned another body into the dragon's jaws.
Birds were also seen feasting on a scattering of cockroaches.
Another video showed monitor lizards munch some cockroaches.
The zoo's President & CEO, Tim Morrow, said: "We are very excited to be bringing this incredibly popular fundraiser back this year.
"Cry Me a Cockroach gives guests not only the opportunity to forget someone who may have wronged them but also a direct link to the care of our animals."
"These feeder insects and humanely pre-frozen rodents are already a part of our animals' typical diets. Although small, they really are the unsung heroes of the food chain."
Proceeds from the fundraiser will go towards a new and improved jaguar habitat and overhead trail system at the zoo, set in 56 acres and home to more than 3,500 animals from 750 different species.