MARYLAND: Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but in Maryland it is being served smelly. The Maryland Zoo is inviting the lovelorn to name a pile of animal dung after their ex this Valentine’s Day, all in the name of conservation.
The campaign, cheekily titled Dollars for Dung, allows donors to “name” animal poop after a former partner in exchange for a $5 donation. Participants receive a PDF certificate to mark the moment, while the money goes towards animal care and conservation projects in Maryland and in native habitats worldwide.
The zoo, home to more than 1,000 animals, including critically endangered Panamanian golden frogs and African penguins, is pitching the idea as catharsis with a cause.
“Dollars For Dung is the perfect way to turn heartbreak into hilarity this Valentine’s Day,” the zoo said on Instagram. “For just $5, you can get back at your ex by ‘naming’ a pile of animal dung after them. It’s the perfect way to talk sh*t while supporting animal care and conservation.”
Shannon Brown, chief operating officer, said this is the second year the zoo has run the campaign. The previous edition nearly reached $10,000 in donations.
“They can send it, they can post it, they can do whatever,” Brown told Fox 5 Washington DC. The idea, Brown said, emerged from a casual lunchtime chat that quickly snowballed.
The appeal has proved global. “We received donations from over 30 countries across the world. I think we touched like all but two continents,” Brown said.
The concept is catching on elsewhere. Last year, Memphis Zoo in Tennessee offered donors a choice for $10: a video of a red panda sweetly eating a grape or a less delicate clip of an elephant relieving itself. The zoo suggested the message need not be reserved for exes alone.
“Maybe it’s your annoying neighbour, overbearing mother-in-law, ex, or that coworker who still gives you nightmares. This Valentine’s, let an elephant do the talking and name a turd after a turd,” Memphis Zoo wrote on social media.
As Valentine’s gestures go, roses wilt and chocolates melt. A named pile of dung, however, may linger in memory and in inboxes, proving that even break-ups can help fund a better life for animals.
