Cockroaches at Japanese Zoo Made More Appealing to Visitors

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The people who run the Shunanshi Tokuyama Zoo in Yamaguchi, Japan, want to change the way visitors think of cockroaches. After all, cockroaches serve a purpose, feeding on decaying wood and leaves, adding nutrients to soil and providing a source of  food source small reptiles and mammals.“They have such a negative image,” said a zoo spokeswoman. “But they’re actually playing an important role in the food chain.” The Guardian reports that the zoo’s cockroach exhibit, which boasts about 200 cockroaches from 15 species, will now offer more than just a look at the insects everyone loves to hate. Visitors will be treated to cockroach races involving five of the fast-moving insects and will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (if they’re lucky) to get up close and personal with a Madagascar hissing cockroach, a species that grows as long as 2 to 3 in. As a pest management professional, you probably already appreciate cockroaches for the business they bring (click here for our extensive cockroach coverage). Now, zoo visitors are learning to like them too, as nearly 80 percent of them are checking out the cockroach exhibit.