``If I live to be 100 I'll really make the point.'' I followed his instructions and he was right. I remember seeing an alligator gulping down whole chickens and being allowed to handle an Indigo snake after Mr. Haast's presentation. Shame on Hass and the parents this poor animal was slaughtered. I can't imagine more suitable place than South Florida for Bill Haas's Serpentarium. Dr. Haast met my pediatrician at Baptist Hospital in Miami. Bowker had hooked. Others joined Haast. Supposedly, this Timacuan sub-species and the nearby Mexican Bush Master are the largest poisonous snakes in the world and Bill Hass had both of them in his World famous Serpentarium. Using nothing but a thin hooked metal rod. Palm vipers. An eight-year-old boy in Costa Rica was brutally dragged underwater and mauled to death by a crocodile in front of his horrified parents. Haast really wanted to find the cure or treatment for polio and feels he came close. Haast saw that a boy had fallen into the crocodile pit. Im just here to say a prayer, he said. His daughter Nya, my sister and I used to play together. I witnessed one such snake in 1985 on a dirt road in northeast Florida. As he announced at the time, Bill killed the croc because he did not want her to become the inevitable freak show instead of a crocodile.Neither revenge nor stress induced fuzzy thinking was involved. On November 3, a man was dragged underwater by a crocodile while swimming in the Kali River, in India's Uttara Kannada district, Newsroom Odisha reported. flashbackmiami.com/2013/11/26/serpentarium-2/, Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; CPU OS 15_5 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/605.1.15 (KHTML, like Gecko) GSA/219.0.457350353 Mobile/15E148 Safari/604.1. We ran it over, and with a little coaxing, I convinced the driver to return. I got my love of snakes (I'm a girl) growing up in Miami going repeatedly to the Serpentarium. The guy that answered the phone was very calm, and told me to just leave it alone and that it would probably just be on it's way. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Snake man is master of poison and cure Bill Haast, 97, is lauded for pioneering work with snake venom By Kate Spinner Sarasota Herald-Tribune Published: Friday, July 11, 2008 at 4:30 a.m. CHARLOTTE COUNTY - Bill Haast's 97-year-old fingers, withered by scores of snake bites, are too weak to handle cobras and pit vipers anymore. Born William E. Haast on Dec. 30, 1910 in Paterson, N.J., he was a South Florida celebrity for surviving successive venomous snakebites. We had a large clump of banana trees in our back yard, & she had called Mr. Haast to tell him that there was a coral snake down in the undergrowth of it, & could he please come & remove it? I am a big guy and I thought we could easily hold him still. "We can't be here, because we spend every time remembering how nice it was to have him here with us. I asked him one evening if I could walk with him he said yes in the baritone of gentle command. He would free the snakes on a table in front of him, then catch the snakes bare-handed, and force them to eject their venom into glass vials with a rubber membrane stretched across the top. As a young Canadian boy back in the 1960`s. Well he is alive and well at the age of 97or 98 and still apparently working with snakes; he said he felt there would come a time when he would not be able work with them but I guest he still is. Inside, the snake shows were pure drama with no frills, no fanfare, no drum roll, no silence please, no ladies and gentleman. Small world. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our, who would go on to become the face of Zoo Miami, Associated Press dispatch quoted a wildlife officer, Haast pumped nine shots from a Luger pistol, finally closing the tourist attraction in 1984. STAFF PHOTO / ED PFUELLER Order photo Bill Haast, center, is recognized by members of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Venom Response Unit for his work helping snake-bite victims. We had an iguana that was too large to keep. "It was his adopted city. On Thursday, members of the rescue unit came to shake Haast's hand. The attackers included cobras, a krait, green mambas, a pygmy rattlesnake, a European asp and a palm viper. MIAMI, Sept. 4 (UPI)A 12foot African crocodile that killed a 6yearold boy was killed today by the owner of the Miami Serpentarium, who pumped nine shots into it with a Luger pistol. The boy and another friend decided to go . In August 2020, the remains of a 14-year-old boy were cut from a crocodile's stomach after the reptile ate him alive. However, sometime in my teens I developed a real fear of snakes, somewhat unusual since there were no poisonous varieties in my area. Im standing outside watching them search for someones baby, she wrote on Twitter. This is greatl so good to know that Doc is still alive and doing at least some of what he loves best. Thanks for the update on Bill Haast! In 1964, a book was written about him. It was July, 1972, and my family was making our first visit to the Serpentarium. My Parents said we know Mr. Haast would you like to see his snake farm. bill was to capture this cobra and milk it for the crowd. Keep it up Mr. Haast. Great stories were told on our nightly walks, stories of Africa in the "War" , Safaries, snakes hey we like snakes , Dick gets in troule all the time with his snakes. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. He gathered 400 cobras and took his findings to a University of Miami researcher. However, the venom eventually did affect him, and he was taken to a hospital where it took him several days to recover. A second boy, 15, was bitten but escaped. Bill Haast and a cobra at the Miami Serpentarium by Don Boyd Miami is a hotbed for venomous snake bites because it is the entry point for almost any exotic snake, whether it is bound for a collector or a zoo in another state. Haast, the world-renowned ''Miami snakeman,'' is now 95 and living on a sprawling Punta Gorda ranch with his third wife, Nancy -- and 400 snakes that supply his venom-selling Miami Serpentarium Laboratories. He was able to identify the type of snake that bit me by the bite marks. Furthermore, you shouldn't speak about how a parent should have kept a better eye on their dead son. My "fondest" memory: sitting on the side of the crock pit with my butt hanging over the edge, the wall wasn't but a couple feet tall, right? Bill is a true forward thinker and an inspiration to all herpetologists. ABOUT 1975 OR SO, I TOOK MY FAMILY ON VACATION TO SEE ALL THE SIGHTS MIAMI HAD TO OFFER INSTEAD OF LEAVING TOWN AS WE ALWAYS DID. Great memories. There were two fatal alligator attacks in Florida last year in the first reported deaths since 2007. boy killed by crocodile at miami serpentarium. The Serpenlarium, widely known as a research fadlity as well as a zoo for snakes and reptiles, remained closed indefinitely while Mr. Haast and his Wife discussed what additional safety precautions to take. Haast died June 15, 2011 at age 100. He was a local celebrity known for something really worthwhile (unlike so many celebrities nowadays). Haast killed the croc the next day. Unless otherwise noted under the right bottom of the photo, all images are copyrighted by Don Boyd, Bill Haast and the Miami Serpentarium - recent news articles, SW 128th Street and South Dixie Highway, Dade County, Memories of Old Hialeah, Old Miami and Old South Florida Photo Galleries - largest non-Facebook collection on the internet, Miami Area Tourist and Local ATTRACTIONS Historical Photos Gallery - All Years - click on image to view. I graduated from there in 1979. I used to take the snakes I would find to a lady named Alma Bishop, who had a little shop in the Flamingo Bar. Sometimes a snake would upstage Haast, biting him in front of spectators. I've tried to keep up with him from time to time. My Dad would take me there often, we lived in South Miami (as I do againlong story). When she reached into the box and found movement inside she shrieked so loudly we could hear her from far across the large garden, and we chuckled "I guess she found it" Someone said. Whenever we remember what happened, it is impossible not to shed tears.". Bill Haast and a cobra at the Miami Serpentarium SW 128th Street and South Dixie Highway, Dade County, Florida Thank you to Alvin Lederer for contributing this old image. I don't know. At the time I envisioned growing up and working for Bill, learning to snatch & milk snakes. In the past week, The Voice singer Christina Grimmie was shot dead and 49 people were also killed in Orlandos Pulse nightclub by gunman Omar Mateen in a terror attack. As a young teenager in the mid 1960's I was very interested in all types of reptiles. One of the girls fainted right in my dad's arms! We have tried to cover and visualize some, we have implemented a hook with a strip to see if it pulls something, but to no avail. The parents diligently tried to get the child, Sheriff Demings said. In North Carolina, a chemist offered this salute: "Resssssssst in Peace Bill Haast.". Disney honours two-year-old boy killed by alligator at park It was a close call, one that underscored the county's need for an antivenin bank, Cruz said. I remember those two huge crocs, one Nile and one American. It was intuitive. I am transferring my old pictures to new albums and came across our photos at The Serpentarium in 1973 when we were there with our family while on vacatin. His next bite, later the same year, came from a four-foot copperhead. As far as I recall, the Cobra on the roof was the one from the Serpentarium. I lived across South Dixie Highway from the Miami Serpentarium. But Haast no longer can handle the forked-tongued killers that made him famous. For years, Haast tried to prove that venom could treat multiple sclerosis, lupus, arthritis and Parkinson's disease. Like I said, we were always grabbing any snakes we came across, and one day finally got a Moccasin. I'll never forget April Fools day there! Children shrieked in horrified glee. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. World Crocodile attack Indonesia Crocodiles Alligator. The boy's family never sued, accepting only the maximum insurance payment, Haast said. I remember it sliding around my leg and shaking my leg till it feel off. ''I can no longer open my hands wide or make a fist,'' Haast explained. It stood almost eye level with Bill and lunged repeatedly as it advanced across the floor toward him. As many families do, the Malaysian family had a get together with some friends. Airports to Fly Out of, Humane Society of Broward County Kicks Off VCA Walk for the Animals in Fort Lauderdale, She Was Loved': Family Speaks Out After Driver Arrested in Margate Crash That Killed Mother, Hospitalized Child, Miami-Dade Mayor, State Attorney Announce New Measures to Protect HOA Residents, From Haiti Through Liberty City to Top Federal Prosecutor in South Florida: the Unlikely Story of Markenzy Lapointe, Check Your Change! I'm sure they still carry around enough guilt, even after all this time, without you adding to it. When our son was very small, he was afraid of snakes. To this day it is one of our most treasured possesions. Disney has now closed all resort beaches out of an abundance of caution until further notice, a Disney spokesperson said Wednesday morning. The crocodile is suspected of eating a farmer who went missing in July in the town of Bunawan, and of killing a 12-year-old girl whose head was bitten off two years before. He died of natural causes on Wednesday in Punta Gorda, on Florida's west coast, where he had made his home. The show was great. Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings confirmed that the toddlers body was found in the water about 3.30pm, local time, after more than 15 hours of searching the Seven Seas Lagoon in Orlando, Florida. Hi, my uncle Ted Kundtz just passed away a few months ago and he told me that he had helped out Mr. Haast when he was younger. [9] In an August 2008 Florida Trend interview, he stated, "Aging is hard. I was fascinated watching them put Mr Haast's feeding tube down and feed the snake. During the 1950s, he was bitten by cobras about twenty times. The last time I saw him he told me never to get bit again and offered me a job. I believe he gave them some of his blood with the anti-bodies and that saved their lives. His powerful blood also rescued 21 snake-bite victims. THAT WAS THE MOST MEMORIBLE PART OF THAT VACATION. He had a clinic called St. Jude Clinic on SW 8 Street. He had done research for a polio vaccine, sought a cure for multiple sclerosis. While there, a gentleman drove in with a huge python he caught on his property and had in a wire basket. This tornado also picked up a dredge crane, working on one of the drainage canals, and placed it across the canal without any significant damage. How did he get them through Customs? Crocodile attack earns Florida swimmers dubious distinction I'll never forget this experience. Regarding Bill Haast's killing of Cookie the crocodile, bothe Bill Guest and jesse are wrong. His wife Nancy and I had been pleasantly talking an she was so fearful that she held my arm and squeezed hard, all the while telling me that a bite from that king cobra would likely kill Bill , because up to that point he had been bitten some 23 times , but never by a king cobra one drop of which can kill 5 men. The cobra that Elliot Arkin made was the one inside the building across from the office. They gave me nightmares. Haast maintained a similar bank in Miami when he ran the Serpentarium theme park, which closed in 1984. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahaler said everyone at the resort was devastated by what happened and Disney was helping the family. Haast could not make the ceremony, so part of the ceremony came to him. I am now 42 years with a very youthful appearance and in excellent health! My scary moment at the Serpentarium was to see the salt water crock in a deep pit jump up and snap a chicken before it hit the ground! Among them a zoo director from Des Moines, a local construction worker and a Venezuelan father. I visited many times in the 60's - 70's. My mother was deathly afraid of snakes but she was a real trooper driving us to Dr. Haas, all the while saying, you better not let that snake go in this car! I got excited thinking it was a new toy. In 1946 Haast decided he had enough money saved to start his snake farm. And we often talked of many things when she came in to South Dixie Amoco to have the well-maintained car serviced. I recall going with my brother to the airport to pick her up upon her arrival. We used to hunt non-poisonous snakes in the Glades, Homestead farmlands: king snakes, red ratsnakes, yellow ratsnakes, indigos, black racers, etc., and take them down to mr Haas and he had a yardstick on the table and would measure them by the foot, pay us maybe .25cents/foot for the ratsnake, .35/foot for the kingsnakes, etc. When she got in the car she said she had a suprise for me. Soon after opening the Serpentarium, Haast began experimenting with building up an acquired immunity to the venom of King, Indian and Cape cobras by injecting himself with gradually increasing quantities of venom he had extracted from his snakes, a practice called mithridatism. From The Miami Herald, August 3, 2006 FLASHBACK | THE MIAMI SERPENTARIUM 'Miami snakeman' is 95 and still injects himself with venom BY LUISA YANEZ lyanez@MiamiHerald.com IN PUNTA GORDA: Bill Hasst sold his Miami Serpentarium site in Pinecrest in 1984, and settled in southwest Florida. Access from your Country was disabled by the administrator. We also used to go to his show at the Serpentarium, and it fascinated my brother. But I always felt I would live this long. I . BILL TOLD THE CROWD NOT TO WORRY, "IT'S ONLY CALCIUM". Like for so many others, the Serpentarium was a place of wonder for me in my youth. I was inspired by him because as kids we used to go all through the Evergaldes looking for snakes to catch. CAKEGATE 2023: Bad Bunny's Restaurant Accused of Gobbling Birthday Girl's Cake, Death Train: A Timeline of Brightline Fatalities in South Florida UPDATED, Neighborhood Nazi Jon Minadeo Peddles Hate by the Minute, Sen. Rubio's Permanent Daylight Savings Bill Sees Light of Day Once More, NFL Legend Ray Lewis Joins World Jai-Alai League Board of Directors, Affordable New "Micro-Units" Slated for Little River, Edgewater. She took over, and the show went on without a hitch. Cookie broke free and took the boy underwater. But his wife said that the crocodile, named Cookie, was killed and buried in the same pit where it. It's been 5 years since Disney World alligator tragedy that killed 2 That was South Dade, Florida, relatively free of the most venomous snakes because Bill Hass and the Serpentarium. The Serpentarium opened at the end of 1947, still not completed. Their daughters, Nya and Shantee probably do not even remeber me (it was in the early seventies). World; North America; Alligator drags child into lake near Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Snake handler, venom researcher. A 6-year-old boy fell into a crocodile pit and was killed. "He's like an icon to people that know him," Cruz said. I gave Dr. Hasst an iguana that got too large for me to keep and from then on he let me come in for free.. I saw so many people face their phobias of snakes and actually touch one for the first time. Shaman Killed by Crocodile - YouTube He later received commendations from President Gerald Ford and Miami Mayor Stephen Clark. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. The resorts beach pool is next to the lake and overlooks the Seven Seas Lagoon. I think its horrible that he killed that animal. BILL PUT ON HIS MILKING SHOW WHEN A SNAKE IN BILL'S HAND WIGGLED AROUND AND SPRAYED A WHITE LIQUID FROM THE REAR OF THE SNAKE INTO THE CROWD AND ACROSS THIS WOMEN'S LEGS IN FRONT OF US. My first visit to the Serpentarium was in the summer of '56 when I visited family friends who lived on Key Biscayne. I will admired and respect this wonderful human being for the rest of my life. I have Ophidiophobia (not herpetophobia the fear of reptiles) a true fear of snakes. In 2018, Indonesian villagers armed with knives, hammers and clubs slaughtered 292 crocodiles in revenge for the death of a man killed by a crocodile at a breeding farm, Reuters reported. [The search] is still very active and [the] chopper keeps circling, he said. 'There is no reason to visit Miami. MIAMI, Sept. 3 (UPI)A 6yearold boy tumbled into a crocodile pit at the Miami Serpentarium today and a 14 foot, 1,800pound African crocodile snapped its jaws around the child's middle and dragged him to his death in a small lagoon. Read More on The US Sun. a woman in Florida died after she fell into a pond and was attacked by two alligators, the remains of a 14-year-old boy were cut from a crocodile's stomach, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. On that trip, I held the very long Indigo snake, and my friend, Ann, took a picture of me. My dad and I still talk about this over 40 years later! Grainy WTVJ footage from 1962, now part of the Wolfson Archive, shows a fit, toothy 51-year-old Haast in a hospital recovering from his 79th snake bite his first ever by a King Cobra. I worked at the Serpentarium for roughly a year, about two years before it closed. great childhood memories spent there with my family , i remember getting goose bumps when we would see the cobra statue. Bill's dedication to helping science, medicine, and snakebite victims was always unwavering. Consequently, the snakes grew to tremendous lengths, by not being hunted by the indians, and were probably fed leftover game to achieve the fantastic length. I visited the Serpentarium in the late 70s on a trip down to Key West. Myles, Justin (Dec 2000/Jan 2001 Issue). He suffered 17 bites that nearly killed him, one put him in an iron lung for three days, his system paralyzed. It had been bit my Cookie while trying to stop Cookie from getting out on US1.Also their pet lion jumped across the roof of the Shelby and the chain scratched the roof. Florida is renowned for having more alligators than any other US state. I wish you could have seen that crowd move as that snake reared itself and advanced toward Bill as it poured itself onto the concrete floor. When asked if Disney was aware of alligators on the property, Wahaler advised there were signs that said no swimming. He was a great neighborhhod Dad, and I will always remember the fun we had with he, his wife and his children. More animals than anyone I ever knew, and of every variety. On March 15, 2009, 11-year-old Briony Goodsell was killed by a crocodile when swimming with friends at Lambell's Lagoon near Humpty Doo in Northern Territory. (and I have literally been attacked by a shark, which resulted in 30 days in the hospital, and losing half a lung) My point? With his certification, he moved to Miami to work for Pan American World Airways. Then years later I lived in Punta Gorda on Washington Loop, when Bill Haast moved there. In his trademark white lab coat, he would approach a venomous reptile, lure it with one hand and grab its head with the other. 12-year-old boy Charlie Buhl describes crocodile attack, rescue at Authorities estimate there are between 1.3 million and 2 million alligators across the state. My friend Jim Danaaldson who procured and trained animals for the film industry had set up a Reptile Exposition at Devonshire downs and I was an exhibiter . Horses had developed resistance to the poisons through the same process, and the blood of those horses was used to create life-saving antivenin. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Early in Haast's career, he slogged the wilds of the Everglades collecting cottonmouths and rattlers. I notified the person at the gate and soon Mr. Haast himself came out, grabbed the gator, and put him back in the pit. We looked out and could see both Bill and Nancy peeking out from their office with a big grin! At the time of the TV airing Mr. Haast was 87 years old and quite handsome he looked no older that early 50s. This will be of interest to some out there. I've outlived all my friends down there.'' I would see him periodically. And I still do as if it happened yesterday. Walt Disney World has unveiled a lighthouse memorial for a young boy who was killed by an alligator while on holiday at the Florida theme park. There was a croc that had lost its tail because it had bit at it after thinking it was another croc coming to steal its food. Nonetheless, the boy, who was battered and submerged, was killed. When I opened the box I saw my new pet, a 6 foot beautiful Indigo Snake. I was a nurse in the ICU at Variety Children's Hospital on at least three of Haast's admissions after snake bites. When he was 19 he joined a man who had a roadside snake exhibit, and went with him to Florida. WHEN WE WENT TO THE SERPENTARIUM, WE WERE IN THE CROWD WITH MOSTLY OUT OF TOWNERS. I was a child in Florida in the 60's and I saw many, many of Dr. Hasst's shows and remember being concerned the snakes might get away and come towards me of course they never did.. A crocodile mauled and killed an 8-year-old boy near his home in Malaysia. "Our unit wouldn't be around if it wasn't for him; he's the inspiration," said Al Cruz, the unit's founder, standing beneath the tall branches of a live oak that Haast had allowed to grow through his screened pool patio. I remeber in 1970 when I went to JFK junior high in miami we went on a field trip to the serpentarium I am now 50 years old and never forgot the place.I did make a serious mistake while there that people I tell find hard to believe.there was this hudge round pit with a wall around it, in it was what looked to me like a large stone grey statue of a crcodile well I went in there touched it and one eye opened and I was out of that pit like a rocket.this crocodile was at least 15 feet long it must have been sleeping lucky for me.Bill left a lifetime of memories for a 13 yearold kid the man truely is a legend that has no equal in the reptile world. He is truely an extraordinary man. I was probably the first Bill Haast copycat and started self-immunizing with various snake venoms over here in London since the age of twenty. The boy's father and another man, Nicolas Caulineau, jumped into the pit and straddled the crocodile. I'd fainted at the realization of a whole baby pig inside that snake! The injections are a routine he began in 1948 -- the year he opened the Serpentarium -- and continued after he closed it in 1984. Bill Haast, the crocodile's owner, was not talking to reporters. The emergency services unit celebrated its 10th year recently at the Metro Zoo in Miami. A snake trafficker gets a Trump pardon. Here's the only-in-Florida Thanks Bill for the show and GOD bless. As soon as it was handed back to an embarassed little girl, one of the boys said, "Now you have to look and see if it punched your bus ticket!" Julio. In 1978, one of my first acts as a new husband on my honeymoon was to bring my new bride to the Serp (30 years later and she hasn't forgotten that one) so she could witness what I'd described so many times. When we said goodby, I knew this was a moment I would remember for the rest of my life. Dogs, birds, skunks (if I remember correctly) and of course reptiles. The Depression killed the snake attraction, so Haast went to work for a bootlegger based in the Florida Everglades, until revenue agents busted their still. During its heyday, it attracted about 50,000 Florida visitors a year. The boy was swimming in a river with a friend on Thursday when the incident occurred. Green mambas.