Valentine’s Day sucks for those of us who have been in one too many bad relationships. And if you’re fresh off a particularly painful breakup from a partner who was toxic and generally terrible, it’s even worse. You could go ahead and name a cockroach after your ex this February, but why not take it up a notch and name a rat after your ex and then watch it get eaten by a snake? Thanks to the San Antonio Zoo, you can.
- First things first: this isn’t cruelty. For those who think that feeding rats to snakes is unnecessary and cruel, it’s not. Snakes normally eat rats and mice in nature and it’s an important part of their diet and our ecosystem. Naming a rat after your ex isn’t killing a rat that otherwise would have lived, it’s just making you feel a little bit better about your terrible former partner. Just FYI, the rats are delivered to the zoo frozen and are already dead when fed to the snakes.
- Naming a rat costs $25. While naming a cockroach is only $5, rats are a little pricier. However, given that all the money raised goes to helping upkeep the zoo and care for the animals there, you can rest easy knowing that it’s going to a good cause.
- The feeding will be broadcast live on February 14. You’re not just naming a rat after your ex in theory, you’re sending the name in via the San Antonio Zoo website so you can watch as their (first) name is displayed during the live feeding event, which will take place on the zoo’s Facebook page. Sweet!
- You even get a certificate to commemorate the occasion. The party isn’t over after your rat is devoured. After sending your fee and sending the name for your rat, you’ll be emailed a certificate in honor of the special occasion. Valentine’s Day can live on forever if you frame this sucker and hang it up in your house.
