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Bronx Zoo brings back Name-a-Roach tradition for Valentine’s Day

Julie Larsen Maher_2130_Madagascar Hissin…
Photo by Julie Larsen Maher

BY BETH DEDMAN

The Bronx Zoo is celebrating Valentine’s Day by letting donors name one of their 50,000 giant Madagascar hissing roaches in honor of their loved ones.

The “Name-a-Roach” promotion plays off of the common myth that roaches are immortal and unkillable. Their tagline on the website is “You don’t always have the right words, but you can still give them goosebumps. Name a Roach for your Valentine, because roaches are forever.”

For a donation of $15, the Bronx Zoo will send the selected recipient a printable certificate including the name dedicated to the roach, according to the Bronx Zoo website. For a donation of $30, the recipient will also get a roach-scented candle. The “Works” package is sold out but included the certificate, the candle and a pair of roach-themed socks for a donation of $55. The website is completely sold out of roach socks.

All of the proceeds of “Name-a-Roach,” which started in 2011, help the Bronx Zoo and the Wildlife Conservation Society save wildlife in New York and around the world, according to the press release. 

 The Bronx Zoo is also offering an opportunity for patrons ages 21-and-up to spend Valentine’s evening with the largest species of roach in the world. Tickets for their “Roach Romance” are $95 ($76 for members) on their website. 

The Roach Romance night includes an after-hours encounter with the animals, as well as wine and chocolates. The event is from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

The Bronx Zoo encourages participants to “seal it with a hiss” at bronxzoo.com/roach.