Pet funerals: now available for insects too

"We got a Japanese rhinoceros beetle as part of my daughter's education, so we were reluctant to throw it away with the biodegradable garbage when it died," said Takayuki Fukui, a 45-year-old father in the city of Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. His daughter, a primary school second grader, cared for the beetle for about three months before it died in September. They thought of burying the beetle outdoors in a park, but the family was concerned that the bacteria decomposing the corpse would be bad for the local ecosystem. As Fukui was pondering disposing of the insect as combustible waste, he learned about bug funerals online and decided to apply. "My daughter was feeling sad over the rhinoceros beetle's death, but they (the company) treated the remains with care, so she seemed relieved," he said.

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To get a funeral for a dearly departed six-legged friend, people bring in the remains or mail them inside a special kit equipped with a drying agent and cushioning material. The insect is then buried in the "Insect Heaven" graveyard in the Hyogo Prefecture city of Amagasaki, where a Buddhist priest holds memorial services once a month. The remains are not cremated, because the carapace cannot survive the fire. Some bugs brought in even had messages attached, including, "Thanks for coming to our home in such a tiny body," and "Please go to heaven. We won't ever forget you."

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Uncle Frank said:

View attachment 84345 Held a viking funeral for my pet cockroach , glad now of his friends & relatives showed up for it. You need a burn permit where I live and the fire department sent out 3 trucks to cover it. They left early and didn't seem too happy for some reason.

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