"Since 2011 the Bronx Zoo's Name a Roach fundraising program has thrown a spotlight on the New York City institution's Madagascar hissing cockroach exhibit. Participants give a donation to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which runs several zoos across the city, and in exchange they get to symbolically name one of the charismatic cockroaches in their loved one's honor. On Valentine's Day the zoo sends the recipient a certificate with the roach's new nameand"
"Naming a roach for Valentine's Day is a great gag, but also these critters are capable of hissing their way into your heart. Madagascar hissing cockroaches (Gromphadorhina portentosa) are not your average New York City apartment roach. They're larger (about the length of the palm of your hand), have a striped pattern on their backs, and have a round, charismatic, almost cute shape."
More than 2,000 people will gift a named Madagascar hissing cockroach on Valentine's Day through the Bronx Zoo's Name a Roach program. Donors give a contribution to the Wildlife Conservation Society and earn the right to symbolically name a cockroach; recipients receive a certificate on Valentine's Day. For additional fees, the program offers roach merchandise and virtual encounters. The initiative began in 2011 and has raised more than $1 million while naming over 60,000 cockroaches. Madagascar hissing cockroaches are palm-sized, striped, capable of hissing, breathe through spiracles, and exhibit a round, charismatic appearance.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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