Bronx Zoo's "Name a Roach" Raises $1M in 15 Years

The Bronx Zoo thought naming cockroaches after your sweetheart was too weird to work, but 60,000 roach namings later, they couldn't have been more wrong.

Since 2011, the zoo's "Name a Roach" program has let romantics donate to the Wildlife Conservation Society and name a Madagascar hissing cockroach after their loved one. Recipients get a certificate on Valentine's Day, and for extra donations, roach merchandise and virtual encounters with their namesake bug.

"I'm not gonna lie. It was a weird idea," admits Debbie Schneiderman, who leads the initiative and was there for the first pitch meeting. The team expected modest interest but got nearly 6,000 participants in year one alone.

The program has raised over $1 million across 15 years. This Valentine's Day, more than 2,000 people will give their partner the gift of cockroach immortality.

The zoo tried ending the program in 2014, thinking people had tired of the gimmick. Instead, hundreds of unsolicited naming requests poured in anyway, and the team brought it back by popular demand.

Why This Inspires

Madagascar hissing cockroaches might seem like an odd choice for romance, but they're surprisingly charming. These palm-sized insects are larger and rounder than typical roaches, with striped patterns on their backs.

Male roaches grow head horns and battle rivals while hissing to win mates. They force air through tiny breathing holes in their exoskeletons to create their signature sound, using it to attract partners and defend territory.

Mike Wrubel, who's cared for the roaches for 19 years, says breeding happens naturally and enthusiastically. These bugs take romance seriously.

The program has given the humble cockroaches unexpected celebrity status. Visitors now seek them out in their dim corner of the Madagascar exhibit, where they sparkle under warm lighting.

One 2017 participant named her roach "Francis Roach Coppola" for her film student boyfriend. Ten years later, they're still together and look back on the gift fondly.

"We're giving them a fighting chance to win the hearts of the public," Schneiderman says. "People are looking for them a little bit more, giving them the status they deserve."

The roaches have proven to be model colleagues, always available to wiggle their antennae for moral support when the team needs it.