You can blame the Swiss. The Cow Parade started in 1998 in Zurich, Switzerland and soon the playfully painted cows had crossed the Atlantic and invaded Chicago followed by New York City. These days a herd/flock/colony of just about any animal can be found somewhere (we’ve seen packs of jaguars in San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico and painted cats galore in Cali, Colombia). Usually the plain fiberglass animals are given to artists or an art school to be colorfully decorated and displayed. Often, the animals are later auctioned off for charity. In Ibarra, Ecuador much-larger-than-life hummingbirds came in for a landing and here’s what it looked like.

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Here’s more about travel in Ecuador

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