Forget chocolates, how about cockroaches as Valentine's gift?

Zoo officials say Madagascar hissing cockroaches would likely be used for the feast

LOS ANGELES: Forget chocolates, flowers or a romantic dinner. A zoo in Texas is offering singles the chance to name a cockroach after their ex and see it fed to a meerkat live on camera on Valentine's Day.

In a campaign dubbed "Quit Bugging Me!!!" the El Paso Zoo says the roach is a perfect Valentine's gift for those needing closure on a past relationship that didn't make the grade.



It said a cockroach would be assigned to each nominee and the bugs would be fed to meerkats in an event streamed on the zoo's website and Facebook page on February 14.

Zoo officials said Madagascar hissing cockroaches would likely be used for the feast.

"They do actually hiss, they are a very large species of cockroach, definitely not the largest, but it is one that we actually do breed here at the zoo for feeding purposes," Sarah Murphy, an education specialist at the zoo, told the local ABC station.