Zoo’s Valentine’s offer: Name cockroach after ex and we’ll feed it to meerkats

A zoo is making an unusual offer to singles on Valentine’s Day – name a cockroach after your ex and keepers will feed it to a hungry meerkat.

The less than romantic idea comes from El Paso Zoo in Texas, which is calling for submissions before they start announcing the names on February 11.

The scheme seems to have captured the imagination of social media users, who were gleefully anticipating the animals’ vengeful meal.

One Facebook user asked if the zoo had a roach that “keeps going in circles and coming back to the same place” to write her ex’s name on, while one wondered: “Is it possible to have a voodoo curse put on the cockroach so it has the same effect as a voodoo doll while being eaten?”

The event will begin at 2.15pm local time – that’s 9.15pm GMT – on the big day and can be watched via the zoo’s Facebook page.