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Revenge, they say, is a dish best served cold. And for an endangered owl breeding program in Canada, it’s also a dish best served dead.
For the price of a coffee, spurned and disgruntled lovers can revel in the satisfaction of having a dead rat named after an ex, before it is fed to a northern spotted owl.
The British Columbia-based breeder is running its No regRATS campaign ahead of Valentine’s Day, promising a photo and video of one’s rat, named after a former lover – or arch-enemy – and the owl it has been fed to in exchange for at least a C$5 donation.
Before industrial logging in south-west British Columbia, there were nearly 1,000 spotted owls in the old-growth forests. But they have vanished in recent decades, victims of habitat destruction.
Activists have tried in vain to hold the government to account, alleging protected species laws have failed to prevent the extirpation of the owls.
In February 2023, the federal environment minister, Steven Guilbeault, said the spotted owl was facing “imminent threats to its survival” and told environmental groups he would recommend an emergency order to block further destruction of its habitat in British Columbia.
Months later, however, Canadian cabinet ministers rejected Guilbeault’s plea to save the endangered owl.
Efforts to revive the population have failed, with a pair of owls released from the breeding program dying within months. The lone female in the wild is also believed to have died.
The breeding program, which operates with limited funds, is seen as the last hope of returning the owls to the wild and reviving a population widely seen as a barometer for the health of old-growth ecosystems.
Predictably, the campaign has angered rat fans.
After teasing the campaign on Instagram, users chimed in that it was unfair to equate “noble” and “clever” animals to a former flame.
“How dumb and cruel. What you are feeding is a bad opinion about rats. Completely undeserved. What about ticks or mosquitoes instead?”
The breeding program says rodents make up most of the owls’ diet. “They’re going to be eating the rats anyway. We’re just trying to have a little fun and fundraise so we can continue caring for the owls,” it wrote. “Don’t get us wrong, we love rats too.”
Others, however, were more than happy to fork over the cash.
“The satisfaction of naming a rat after someone who has hurt you and having said rat get eaten!!!! And then to get a picture? Priceless,” wrote on user. “Love this more than I should. Perfect fundraiser. Money well spent.”
