VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — As Valentine’s Day approaches, the Virginia Aquarium invites the jilted, the scorned, the recently dumped and the generally cynical to celebrate in a unique and vengeful way: Buy a feeder rat and name it after your ex.
If a rat doesn’t quite fit the profile, you can also choose a cricket, herring or worm.
In keeping with the diabolical theme of the “Love Bites” fundraiser, staff will livestream the feedings on social media for purchasers to watch the sharks, Komodo dragons and other reptiles quite literally process their pain.
“We’ll name the feeder you purchase after the clown who brought you down,” reads a statement on the Aquarium’s website. “We’ll record its fate in the mouths of one of our residents who will be all too glad to help you in this cathartic healing.”
The Valentine’s fun will benefit the aquarium’s educational, research and conservation activities and its Stranding Response Program.
Buy feeder animals starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday on the Virginia Aquarium’s website. Sales end February 8 at 5 p.m.