 Madagascar hissing roaches (Photo: Liz West, ) |
The beloved鈥攐r hated, depending whom you ask鈥擵alentine鈥檚 Day is just a week away. Still looking for that something special to give your Valentine? Maybe you鈥檙e trying to impress that darling you hope will be your love for good? Look no further than the , with its, um, unique gift any girl would treasure. Introducing roaches, two ways (one of them edible).
First, name one of the Bronx Zoo鈥檚 58,000 Madagascar hissing roaches after your loved one. Yes, this is totally serious, and best of all, it鈥檚 just $10 per naming鈥攁 gift anyone can afford. Not sure what moniker-giving approach to take? Follow the zoo鈥檚 advice: 鈥淒on鈥檛 be afraid to get creative! Maybe you want to name the roach in honor of [your sweetheart鈥檚] boss? Her least favorite teacher or talk show host? Or maybe your Valentine loves wildlife of all kinds and would consider a creepy-crawly namesake an honor.鈥
 Photo: Julie Larsen Maher 漏WCS |
Your honey will know you care by the e-card, beautifully decorated with roaches (shown at left), that he or she receives explaining your gift.
If one roach just doesn鈥檛 say 鈥淚 Love You鈥 like two does, add a Cocoa-Roach for a few extra bucks. These edible insects are actually pretty cool. (Check them out below.) For just $15 more, you get hand-painted chocolate roaches done by chocolatier Sabrina Berkowitz of . It鈥檚 a spin on your typical heart-shaped box of treats for sure.
鈥淔or the Cocoa-Roaches, we鈥檙e basically just using a dark semi-sweet chocolate. It鈥檚 not too intense and it鈥檚 not too sweet,鈥 Berkowitz says. 鈥淵ou take that chocolate, when it鈥檚 in liquid form and you pour it into the mold. You let them set, pop them out, finish off the edges, then you just paint it.鈥 She uses paint made from edible cocoa butter. Yum.
鈥淭hough I am an animal lover,鈥 she adds, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if I would ever be a Madagascar hissing cockroach lover. No offense to the roaches of the world, but I think I鈥檒l stick to the Cocoa-Roach.鈥 As the zoo points out, these large roaches, which can reach four inches, aren鈥檛 actually considered pests and rarely make it into homes. They hiss as a defense mechanism.
If you鈥檙e not certain bugs are the best way to get to your Valentine鈥檚 heart, just remember that the money you spend goes directly to the (of which the Bronx Zoo is a part, as are the , , , and ) to help species of all kinds. (And if you place your order by today, shipping is free.) As the WCS puts it, 鈥淲ith your support, we'll continue to do our work saving wildlife in the forests of Madagascar and throughout the world鈥檚 most majestic wild places.鈥
Last year, 鈥攚ith creative stuff like Hissing Hottie, Cranky Frankie, Lisa Lovebug, and Hisssterical鈥攔aising almost $60,000 for WCS. What name would you pick to show your affection? Let us know in the comments below and .
 Chocolate Cocoa-Roaches for your sweetheart (Photo: Julie Larsen Maher 漏WCS) |