The picture looks impossible at first. A man is hanging from a tree branch above crocodile-filled water, while a lion waits on the ground and snakes block his path back toward the trunk. Dropping straight down would put him directly into the water, and climbing toward the tree would bring him dangerously close to the snakes.
The important detail is that the man does not need to return toward the trunk. The branch continues well beyond his hands toward the opposite side, and the riverbank can be seen farther to the right. Instead of concentrating on the lion, snakes, or crocodiles, he needs to use the branch itself as his escape route.
His safest move is to pull himself up onto the branch and carefully move away from the tree, toward its far end. The snakes are positioned closer to the trunk, so traveling in the opposite direction keeps him away from them. The lion is also tied near the base of the tree and cannot follow him out over the water.
Once he reaches the thinner end of the branch, he can lower himself and use the branch’s flexibility to swing toward the nearby bank. He should wait until he is positioned beyond the crocodiles before letting go, allowing him to land close enough to the opposite side to climb safely onto dry ground.
So the solution is surprisingly simple: climb onto the branch, move to the far right away from the snakes, and use the end of the branch to swing toward the opposite bank. The puzzle feels impossible only because the obvious dangers distract you from noticing that the branch itself provides the escape.
