Zip tie wouldn't have helped - this kid was using his entire weight to rock the entire cage assembly, while Mommy looked on in approval.
There were some young men who apparently were supposed to be watching, but didn't seem to pay much attention to large portions of the area - another guy was taking feed from one cage and moving it to others and I reported it to them. He didn't appear to be an exhibitor.
I'm afraid if I were exhibiting there I'd make a deal with some of the people whose birds would be near my birds to take turns standing guard. I guess things have really changed - bad behavior was very rare at the fairs in Oregon and Washington twenty-five years ago, and I suspect it was rare here in California in those days, too. Now it seems like the moronic parents smile on while the kids try to poke the birds, or scare them, if the moronic parents aren't busy doing stupid things themselves.
One the other hand, there was a guy who was teasing a Longhorn in the cattle barn and almost got the point of why they have those massive horns. If he'd have been gored, I'm afraid I would have laughed. Sometimes I am not a very nice person at all - but walking up and flipping one's fingers on the nose of a bovine is not one of the more intelligent acts I have seen someone do.
My take is that when an extra length of portable enclosure panel is put in front of a pen, this means that one should really think carefully before deciding to get in reach of that animal. That steer was very good at weaving his horns through both layers of enclosure panel, too. I think climbing up on the outer panel to reach in was really stupid - and smacking it on the nose was not only mean, but idiotic..
I do admit that if I find a friendly sow or barrow, I will play with their noses - but not hit them or be mean. Hogs generally love that because it feels like one of their favorite sensual pleasures - rooting. I ask the owner's permission, too. It makes me feel good when Sooee closes her eyes and makes those pleasure grunts.
