Valentine’s Day can be a tough time for someone recently jilted or whose relationship is going through a rough patch.
If you are one whose heart is wounded, it might be the perfect time to visit the Nuevo Laredo Zoo and Aquarium.
This week, the Nuevo Laredo City Hall and zoo invite the public to “baptize” a cockroach with the name of an ex, after which the insect will be used to feed the animals at the zoo. Zoo visitors can personally feed their cockroach ex to zoo animals, or register online to receive a video of the cockroach’s demise.
With the stated object of helping those in pain on Valentine’s Day, the zoo posted the following invitation on its website and Facebook page:
“This Feb. 14, give your day a unique touch. Take part in an amusing activity whereby you can name a cockroach after your ex and see it become food for the animals at our zoo. It’s the perfect way to find closure!”
With a simple click that takes you to a registration page, you can turn your ex into a filthy insect. But only two “baptisms” per person are permitted.
The post was uploaded last week and generated more than 100 comments and hundreds of Facebook likes by Friday.
Some participants even admitted that they were naming cockroaches after family and friends just for fun, according to Milenio newspaper.
Others were less sanguine. One participant gleefully wrote “Your time has come!” Another simply “I have a name in mind.”
Despite the many who voiced support for the light-hearted gambit, quite a few respondents expressed disapproval, categorizing it as insensitive and inappropriate.
One user labeled it a stupid idea, according to the newspaper Reforma, saying Valentine’s Day should not be wasted by thinking about an ex.
Another comment suggested the city and its institutions be more civic-minded: “Why don’t you repair the potholes in the street?” it said.
Finally, one participant objected to the fact that innocent insects were being scapegoated. “What fault is it of the cockroaches?”
This is the second consecutive year that Nuevo Laredo has sponsored a “Finding closure through cockroaches” offer.
With reports from Reforma, Milenio and Telemundo Laredo
