A south Devon zoo is celebrating the season of love and romance with a rather dirty Valentine’s gift idea.

Shaldon Wildlife Trust is inviting lovers, friends, and the slightly mischievous to show their affection in a truly unforgettable way; by purchasing a personalised, animal-themed ‘Poo Photo’. The idea is aimed at making people laugh while contributing to wildlife conservation.

Poo pictures cost either £5 for an ‘offering’ picked by a keeper or £10 for a species you select. Shaldon Wildlife Trust will then personalise the poo and post the image to its social media channels on February 14.

Proceeds from the Valentine’s poos will directly support the Trust’s conservation efforts, which support eight projects around the world, and the endangered species at the zoo.

The initiative is aimed at celebrating the Trust’s mission to protect wildlife and raise awareness of conservation. The zoo wants to prove that even the oddest gifts can make a big difference to endangered species.

‘Flowers and chocolates are lovely,’ said Shaldon Wildlife Trust director Zak Showell. ‘But for those who want to give something fun, memorable and impactful why not let nature do the talking? Our Valentine’s Poo Sale not only brings a smile, it helps fund vital conservation work here and around the world.’

The popular Valentine’s initiative was first launched last year after staff came up with the idea at an events meeting in the pub. They were inspired by other zoos who had run Valentine’s promotions where you could pay to name a cockroach after an ex, which would then be fed to one of the animals. However, the Shaldon zoo team decided that they actually quite like cockroaches, so the opted to do something different.

Last year, 15 supporters bought Valentine’s poo pictures with the most popular excrement emanating from Shaldon’s resident Binturong. Known as bear cats, Binturong originate from south and southeast Asia are classified as vulnerable due to a declining population.