I remember about 5 years ago a 7 year old kid got his cheekbone broken and several scratches when he was hit in the head by a lion at the Phoenix zoo.
It seems that there were two lengths of fencing to keep the public away from the lions and he managed to get between the fences. He then went up to a lion and started poking it with a stick. Of course this upset the kitty and it took a swipe at his melon. The fence gave just enough that, while soaking up much of the impact, the kid's face still got hit pretty hard.
The best part was the interview of the kid in his hospital room. The newslady asked him, "So Billy, what are you gonna do the next time you go see the lions at the zoo?"
As God is my witness, the kid looked right at the camera and replied, "Get a longer stick.".
