NEED TO KNOW
- The San Antonio Zoo is bringing back its “Cry Me a Cockroach” fundraiser
- The annual Valentine’s Day event gives participants a chance to name a cockroach after a former flame
- This year’s rates are $5 for a cockroach or vegetable and $15 for a rodent
The San Antonio Zoo is offering guests an affordable way to channel their heartache this Valentine’s Day.
The Texas park’s annual “Cry Me a Cockroach” fundraiser will once again allow participants to name a cockroach after a former flame.
“Love is expensive. Revenge isn’t,” begins a post the zoo shared on Instagram on Monday, Jan. 12.
“Cry Me a Cockroach returns with lower prices — because a little payback shouldn’t break the bank,” the caption continues. “Symbolically name a cockroach, rat, or veggie after an ex or not-so-special someone, and we’ll feed it to an animal resident!”
This year’s rates are $5 for a cockroach or vegetable and $15 for a rodent.
The zoo added that donations will support its wildlife conservation, animal care, and education programs.
Participants in the cheeky tradition will also receive a downloadable Valentine’s Day card to share with friends (or exes) and a video celebrating the holiday featuring a popular zoo resident.
Commenters responded positively to the zoo’s social media announcement, with fans calling the idea “funny” and “brilliant.”
“Will be doing this for my ex and his mother 😌,” one person wrote.
“Does it have to be an ex? Or can it simply be an enemy?” someone else wanted to know.
“With Cry Me a Cockroach, we’ve found a fun and creative way for people around the world to get some innocent revenge,” Tim Morrow, president and CEO of San Antonio Zoo, said in a statement, per local outlet KSAT. “It’s a lighthearted fundraiser with real impact, and it’s become a Valentine’s Day tradition across the globe.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The fundraiser is now in its seventh year.
“The cockroaches, rodents, and veggies are already part of the animals’ typical diets, and although small, they really are the unsung heroes of the food chain this Valentine’s season,” Morrow said in 2023.
Read the full article here
