Traffic Zebras in La Paz

One of the interesting things you can come across in La Paz is people dressed up like zebras. You might start wondering what's going on, but don't worry, they are just there in order to help you cross the street and to teach the bolivians to respect traffic rules..!
The reason for them to use zebras as mascots, is that the pattern of the zebras fur resembles the pattern of the crosswalk. Also, the kids love them too of course, it is truly easier to "win" the kids trust with a zebra. For some reason people in uniform just doesn't seem to have the same effect.. :p

Posing zebra!

One of the many zebra-posters in town

The zebras are really friendly; often they wave at you and strikes a pose so you can take their picture. They can be really funny to bump into on the street. Sometimes they even do some dance moves in the middle of the street when the traffic light is red. Haha. Here you have a video of some zebras in action (unfortunately no dancing moves though..)

And by the way, I've actually heard that for some reason most of the people working as zebras in La Paz come from abroad, particularly other south american countries. Seems like a funny part-time job, or..? If you've ever dreamed of dancing around in a zebra costume in the middle of the day, in the middle of town, this might just be the job for you. x)

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About Anette
Anette came to Japan as an exchange student in 2010, met the love of her life and got stuck. From her base in Tokyo she writes about her experiences as a full-time worker in Tokyo and about her travels in Japan and abroad. She's a free-spirited adventurer who enjoys both the great outdoors and her urban lifestyle.