Many of his admirers liken him to a young Steve Irwin, heralding his fearless approach to the natural world. This daring sixth grader, known for his jaw-dropping escapades in the rugged expanse of Missouri’s Ozarks, is not afraid to handle snakes or even endure a bite or two from his scaly companions.
Elijah, who shares his wild adventures under the moniker @King_Of_The_Ozarks, remains unfazed when non-venomous snakes latch onto him, their teeth sinking into his skin. For this 12-year-old, these risk-laden encounters are all part of a day spent in the great outdoors.
In a Zoom call with The Post, Elijah recounted his upbringing in a family that cherishes the outdoors. “We’re very outdoorsy,” he explained. “My brothers catch snakes too, and my dad has been bitten as well. I’ve always had a passion for being outside and interacting with wildlife.”
Despite his burgeoning popularity, with 116,000 followers on Instagram, Elijah never anticipated the viral success his videos have achieved. Keeping his surname private, he continues to captivate audiences with his adventurous spirit and fearless interactions with nature.
“We’re very outdoorsy,“ he said over Zoom. “My brothers catch snakes also … My dad also gets bit. I’ve always liked being outside and catching wildlife.”
Elijah, who declined to give his last name, has 116,000 Instagram followers, but he never expected his videos to go viral.
He only started posting to prove to his once-skeptical friends that he’s tough enough to take a snake bite.
“My friends didn’t really believe me when I said I got bit and all, so I decided it’d be a good idea to show everybody,” he said. “I was very surprised [when I gained a lot of followers].”
His page is flooded with videos of himself grabbing snakes like it’s nothing — remaining calm as he displays the creatures to his fans.
But he makes sure to take precautions — he studies snake skin patterns to make sure the one he’s grabbing isn’t venomous.
In one video, a North American black racer pounces at the camera before Elijah holds up the slithering reptile and lets it bite him.
Another clip shows Elijah jumping into a river and snatching up a giant Midland water snake.
He said Midland snake bites hurt the most, rating their bites a five out of 10 on the pain scale.
He keeps followers coming by setting challenges for himself. He recently took on one snake bite for every 10 new followers he got for 12 days.
“This is day 12 of getting bit once every 10 new followers,” Elijah said, with a black snake wrapped around his neck.
After his previous video, he had gained 250 followers in 24 hours, so he let the snake bite him 25 times.
His wilderness escapades aren’t limited to tracking down snakes — Elijah also loves to test his pain limits with wasps.
“Every 10,000 followers I get stung by a new wasp!” his Instagram bio reads.
Using tweezers, he holds different wasps to his arm until they sting him — only letting out a brief “ahh” in the aftermath before matter-of-factly explaining how it felt.
He said his family’s onboard with his unconventional hobby, but his mom definitely stresses over the snakes.
“My mom is a little worried about it,” Elijah said, looking over at her from across the room with a grin. “That’s why she tries teaching me the venomous ones and the non-venomous ones.”
Elijah said the first time he got bitten he was around 9 years old and it was an accident. But once he realized it “didn’t hurt that bad,” he kept at it.
Years later, he’s been dubbed the “little Steve Irwin” and the “world’s toughest kid” in his comment sections – titles he embraces with pride.
“I think it’s really cool,” he said.
But he warns other outdoors enthusiasts to do their research before copying his stunts.
“You always have to know what kinds of snakes they are before picking them up,” he warned.
“Getting bit by a venomous snake is dangerous. And for wasps, getting stung by one that’s stronger than you think [can be dangerous].”
