This zoo will name a cockroach after your ex for Valentine’s Day

Love hurts. Love scars. Love wounds and … crawls? A zoo in England is giving scorned lovers the chance to cement their distaste for a past relationship in the form of naming an insect. But not just any insect — one that invokes a specific feeling of disgust that may arise when looking back on a significant other.

For about $2 the Hemsley Conservation Centre in Fairseat, England, will name a cockroach after “your, or your friend’s worthless ex-‘someone’ on this special holiday of love,” as the zoo described in a Facebook post.

The offer could be a method of relationship therapy that doesn’t “require revenge” but is a way to “make you feel better about getting back at your ex this Valentine’s Day,” the zoo says.

Photos on the Facebook post show that $2 will get buyers a printable certificate, reading, “I’ve named a cockroach at the Hemsley Conversation Centre in the not so loving memory of my worthless ex!” Which, for some, could be far better than any Valentine’s Day card.

The certificate won’t be printed with the cockroach’s (a.k.a. your ex’s) name because as the Hemsley Conversation Centre’s site states, “We don’t want to fuel a fire, so this is a keepsake for you or your friend.”

However, the certificate does come with a message box in case you feel like adding some words of your own. And for those bought before February 10, the cockroach’s name will also appear on the roach board at the cockroach enclosure at the Hemsley Conservation Centre. If you buy after February 10, you will still receive a certificate.

Here’s a closer look at what the certificate looks like, as posted to Instagram by user @gardenialaflor:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BtcdYGalEle/

Others have also posted praise for the idea on social media. Instagram user @onlycatsandfood described the purchase as “the ultimate Valentine’s gift.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BtZg2gOg-nt/

Aside from its humorous twist, Hemsely officials said the offer is also a way to highlight the bugs at the conservation centre. Funds from the “Name a Cockroach Programme” will also reportedly be used toward other projects.

So, those who harbor some negativity toward an ex can feel a little better this Valentine’s Day while also helping an organization keep their zoological programs going. (For some, though, naming a cockroach may be in poor taste … for the cockroach.)

Those interested in naming a cockroach can visit the zoo’s website for more information.

And you better get on it soon! The offer won’t last forever!

Written by Mark Saunders for WPTV. Additional reporting by Simplemost staff.