Getting over a breakup is one of the most difficult things to do in life, but it’s something that pretty much all of us have gone through. Everybody has their own thing they need to do to heal the heartache, whether it’s burning up old pictures or moving to another city — whatever it is you need to do, you need to do it.
In that spirit, one wildlife rehab center is offering to help out the heartbroken this Valentine’s Day, if you’re willing to help them out, too.
RELATED STORIES
Oregon’s Wildlife Images Rehabilitation & Education Center is home to a pair of 700-pound brown bears named Kodi and Yak.
As you’d expect for a couple of fuzzy killing machines from the Pacific Northwest, they have a hunger for salmon, and the folks at Wildlife Images have seen an opportunity in that.
For Valentine’s Day, they’re staging a fundraiser called “Catch & Release” that will let you add your name to a salmon to feed to one of their voracious grizzlies in an act they say provides “a unique sense of closure.”
Wildlife Images tried the same promotion in 2019, to roaring success.
At least, Kodi and Yak seemed to be big fans of the promo, and it was a popular enough fundraiser that it’s back this year, too.
Obviously, everybody has a different definition of what constitutes an “ex.”
But whatever the case, if you pay your $20, you can name the salmon whatever you want, within reason.
“Please note that we have removed any profanity and also limited the naming to first names and last initials when provided,” their website cautions, however. “This choice also includes politicians. We didn’t do this to protect the “innocent,” but rather in an attempt to avoid a lawsuit… because let’s be real – we are a small non-profit just trying to save animals.”
The donation fee doesn’t just get your ex’s name on a salmon that ends up in a bear’s belly.
You also get a certificate and exclusive access to a live feed of Kodi and Yak going to town on their salmon buffet on the big day.
Or, for $100, Wildlife Images will additionally provide an individualized photo of your fish and a pic of the Kodi and Yak rending it apart, in addition to the certificate and access to the live video. There are only 100 salmon reserved for that special offer, however.
For those worried that Kodi and Yak might get overly stuffed from all the heartbreak salmon they chow down on, never fear.
“If it was bad for the bears we simply wouldn’t do it,” the website reads. “At Wildlife Images our staff closely monitors the nutritional value and caloric intake for every Animal Ambassador and wild patient. Diets are appropriately restricted to compensate for Catch & Release Fish Feeds.”
And of course, all the money is going to a good cause.
Kodi and Yak don’t just get a special feast out of it, but ongoing care down the road — as do countless other animals at the center, and any animals in need that are brought in for care.
“There are a lot of tangible ways to honor someone you care about that also serves a greater purpose. However, there are not a lot of ways for someone to use the emotions brought on by loss or heartache for good or to benefit their world. We feel this is the perfect option! And remember, it doesn’t have to be someone who broke your heart… One of our favorite stories is of a woman who named her fish Earl, after a tumor that was removed.”
