>>22281268He becomes a master of timing and deception. He tears a strip from his shirt and ties it to a small twig, creating a decoy. In a fluid motion, he dangles this makeshift lure closer to the snake, letting it strike at the cloth instead of him. The moment the snake commits, he uses his momentum to pivot onto the branch. Simultaneously, he drops the decoy on the ground in front of the lion, prompting the lion to pounce on this sudden movement. The crocodiles, sensing the lion’s commotion near the water, inch forward, giving the lion a reason to back away or engage. While the snake refocuses on the branch, and the lion and crocodiles eye each other, the man stealthily shimmies along the trunk to a higher vantage. From there, he climbs to another tree limb, using the canopy as a natural bridge to move away from the danger zone—turning each predator’s instincts against the others and securing his escape.
