a new approach to a very commercialized holiday

And now for shocking: we learned this morning that the Bronx Zoo was doing a Valentine's fundraising campaign with the theme of sealing it with a "hiss". Yes, you can name your very own roach in honor of a loved one for the low price of ten dollars. I hate the saying "only in New York", but I can't help think of that when it comes to this. Where else would something this outrageous happen?! We have an adopt-a-plant program at Friends of the High Line, but this is taking that notion to a whole different level. Apparently, the roach program has been in existence since 2011. Who knew? My initial reaction was this is gross, but after the shock wore off I laughed and thought - from a fundraising standpoint this is a novel idea and it is a good gift at a fair price. Pushing everyone's zoo concerns aside (yes, I know caging animals is not the greatest), this could definitely be an ice breaker approach to Valentine's Day that isn't overly mushy or generic. I will include the link, though I imagine it will expire within the next few days. Click here to see it for yourself.