A young boy had managed to get his head through the vertical bars of a low fence and had gotten stuck. Although he was bawling loudly, the boy was fairly calm. The same could not be said of his parents, who were frantically trying to free him. Every time they tried to pull the boy back the bars would hurt his ears and he would start bawling even louder.
Someone had notified Security, who was trying to locate some tool that could be used to pry the bars apart. Other people were searching for some butter or grease that could be used to lubricate the boy’s ears so his head could slip free.
In the midst of all this activity, a keeper whose own son must have had a similar experience showed up. Instead of pulling the boy backwards, he simply turned the boy’s shoulders sideways and pushed gently. No longer stopped by the span of his shoulders, the boy slipped easily through the bars and was lifted back over the fence and returned to his parents.