As a kid, it was a thrill to see the man himself up close. We entered the Serpentarium and a fellow (Haas) walked out of the back office to greet the tourists and said" he's dead" referring to John F. Kennedy, President of the USA. In the early 1970s, I was carrying out a survey to document the status of certain native reptiles and amphibians of a seven-county area iof siytgh Florida. In the late 1940s, it occurred to Haast that the symptoms of polio mirrored the nerve and muscle disruption caused by a cobra bite. I remember it sliding around my leg and shaking my leg till it feel off. My Parents said we know Mr. Haast would you like to see his snake farm. ", By his 95th birthday, he was a bit of a recluse. Source = Youtube. Haast routinely injected himself with venom to build up resistance to the ill effects of the inevitable bites. Its very surprising, its an extremely rare occurrence in anywhere you have alligators, but we do ask people to be mindful that we do have alligators in the water in Florida and you have to be careful, Mr Wiley said. Part scientist, part entertainer, Haast spent his early years in Miami as a mechanic for Pan Am, while he built the snake farm he called The Serpentarium along a portion of U.S. 1 that is today called Pinecrest. RESEARCH WAS GOAL For Haast, the bites, the snakes and the Serpentarium were only a means to an end. Senseing this the king made an immediate move toward the door to challenge. Thanks for jogging my memory. 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! Although Haast did not have antivenin for that snake, he knew a collector who did and who provided the 15 vials of antivenin that saved the victim's life. "My other children act strong, but one realises that they are sad. Does anybody on this herpetology board know either the author or title of a novel, published roughly 20 years ago. He is truely an extraordinary man. But Haast no longer can handle the forked-tongued killers that made him famous. 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. I was 16 yrs.old and going outside at night with no shoes on and stepped on the snake in the dark. He received the key to the city.Those same hands that for decades eased venom from the world's most poisonous snakes held the key to the city of Miami on Thursday. When he was 19 he joined a man who had a roadside snake exhibit, and went with him to Florida. I grew up living close to the Haast's in the 60's. Thank you, Dr. Haast, for all your good works and trailblazing in this still to be fully recognized work.and for the fascinating memories. The cheerleaders and marching band of South Miami High, home of the Cobras, screamed and pounded their feet. The man who mesmerized generations of paying customers from 1947 to 1984 by extracting venom at his Miami Serpentarium as a spine-tingling South Florida attraction is dead. Jaws dropped. I remember Cookie on the lawn, too! Sheriff Demings said police had not received any recent reports or complaints about nuisance alligators but authorities will conduct further investigations. May he live far past the hundreds. I first heard of Bill Haast around 1955, when reading a "man's magazine" (as they were called back then, probably Argosy. I took care of Clarita Haast's original Continental Mark. One of the girls fainted right in my dad's arms! Alexander DeMella, who was watching the events unfold from his Disney balcony, told news.com.au that resort staff and authorities had said no one is allowed on the beaches at this time. Except for the grey hair and receding hairline I would have said 'hasn't changed a bit". ''At 95, he doesn't like to do anything that takes time away from his lab work,'' added his wife. It took a group of people to get . "My So-Called Life", pg. 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. They moved to Florida so that Haast could pursue his dream of opening a "snake farm". I remember him as a very genuine, nice man. Donated several snakes over the years also, mostly coral snakes from Opa Locka area. Still remember running a service call on a friday night for a NO COOLto be met by a Llama (male) at the entry gate who put his massive head through my truck window and pinned me against my seat..Nancy told me he liked me but to come back because she was delivering a Llama "cria". I am so glad to have found this site. In 1954 Haast was bitten by a common, or blue, krait. Across the street, a Haast lived in a nice house. THE BAND FROM SOUTH MIAMI HIGH RODE WITH THE COBRA TO THE SCHOOL ON A FLAT BED TRUCK WITH THE BAND HAPPILY PLAYING AND BEATING THEIR DRUMS--SUDDENLY--SEVERAL CARS AHEAD OF ME THE SNAKE --WHICH WAS PLANTED STRAIGHT UP--SUDDENLY FELL APART ON THE TRUCK --JUST SORT OF DISENTAGRATED --AND THE BOTTOM WAS RUINED--BUT A SMALL PART INCLUDING THE HEAD REMAINED-AND APPEARED UNDAMAGED---AND I PRESUME--MADE IT SAFELY TO THE SCHOOL--J. MUDD. The seller's address: Eureka, Fla. Haast knew he had to head south, to a warmer climate favored by snakes. Dr. Haast met my pediatrician at Baptist Hospital in Miami. During World War II, he was aboard flights that delivered food and medicine to Africa and Asia. As time went on, I read about Bill now and then, such as when he was bitten by the Gaboon viper in the 1970s, and a few other dangerous ones. 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. I will admired and respect this wonderful human being for the rest of my life. I never forgot Mr. Haast and his snakes, and, to this day, I am not scared of snakes or any other animals. And modern medical researchers are proving him right snake venom fractions are becoming recognized as potent medicines. Inside, the snake shows were pure drama with no frills, no fanfare, no drum roll, no silence please, no ladies and gentleman. Set in the American South in the 20th century. When we got the photos back, the film was sun damaged, so the next year I went back to hold the Indigo again and friend, Dave took the picture. 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. Watching Bill milk then tube feed special formula into those angry hooded cobras he'd take out of the boxes is something I will never forget. 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. ''I can no longer open my hands wide or make a fist,'' Haast explained. ''I hit him over the head, trying to get him to let go.'' His body will now be turned over to Orange County officers for an autopsy. I would vacation with my parents in Florida in the summer months. His cane was an exotic mixture of ebony and ivory. Staff at the resort were unwilling to comment on the incident. "Not to mention pretty damn smart. This will be of interest to some out there. In 1946 Haast decided he had enough money saved to start his snake farm. THIS SOFT SPOKEN WOMAN TURNED TO HER FAMILY AND SAID "I'VE COME ALL THE WAY TO MIAMI TO HAVE SOME SNAKE S__T ON ME". He suddenly dropped his hook and reached in with his hand, and grabbed it then swung it over the heads of the audience. The boy's father was helpless to save his son from the creature. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. NEW Police have found evidence a 12-year-old was killed in a crocodile attack in northern Australia. The boy was dragged into the water by an alligator at 9pm Tuesday, local time, while wading in about a foot of water during a movie night at Disneys Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. For almost four decades, Haast charmed curious tourists who flocked to his South Dixie Highway attraction, the Miami Serpentarium, to watch his snake show. Mr Haast came out at my parents request after thrilling us with a great show. The 35' cobra ended up on the roof (south side) of South Miami Senior High-my old high school-where it served proudly for many years. See the article in its original context from. My parents stayed at the motel pool, while I was the first one thru the door at the Serpentarium that day. Flores said it has been very difficult for the family, adding: 'It is impossible to continue living in Matina because in every corner of the house we find something that reminds us of Julito, that causes us a lot of pain. After Bill sold the Serpentarium, our 12,000 sq.ft. . By 1984, interest in such roadside attractions like the Serpentarium had waned. I'm sure they still carry around enough guilt, even after all this time, without you adding to it. "[7], Haast turned 100 in December 2010[10] and died on June 15, 2011.[1]. "He was a really nice man with a big heart," said his grand-niece Michelle Haast of Miami. For inspiration and advice, he leaned on Haast. A witness told a journalist at the Orlando Sentinel they reported a sighting of an alligator to police prior to the attack on the toddler, but Sheriff Demings said he was unaware of the report. boy killed by crocodile at miami serpentarium. I have returned to see his show at thye Serpentarium and have watched him with his wife on the Merv Griffith show & others ( I think also the Jonny Carson Show) many years later. 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. 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? The boy and another friend decided to go . Two swimmers taking an early morning dip in a Florida canal have earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first humans in the United States to be bitten by an American crocodile . Thank you for reminding me about this incredible man. THE body of the two-year-old boy, Lane Graves, snatched by an alligator at a Disney resort has . On the way from the Fontainebleau Hotel we heard that President Kennedy had been shot. I stood, many times, on the grass in the little circle just feet from the Cobra at milking time. She was quite a Mom. 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. My Grandfather was a construction worker and used to drop me off there every day over the summer, and weekends when he would work. Cruz called Haast after a man was bitten by a Black Mamba, one of the most poisonous snakes of Africa. The concrete & stucco cobra was the second icon of the Serpentarium. (and I have literally been attacked by a shark, which resulted in 30 days in the hospital, and losing half a lung) My point? 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. And I still do as if it happened yesterday. [2] After closing the Serpentarium, he opened the Miami Serpentarium Laboratories, a facility in Punta Gorda, Florida that produced snake venom for medical and research use. A wealthy lawyer who killed his wife and son at close range has been sentenced in one of the most troubling cases the judge said he had seen. Born William E. Haast on Dec. 30, 1910 in Paterson, N.J., he was a South Florida celebrity for surviving successive venomous snakebites. 76. I notified the person at the gate and soon Mr. Haast himself came out, grabbed the gator, and put him back in the pit. My father used to deliver popcorn to the Miami Serpentarium in the late 60's early 70's and I used to love to watch Mr. Haast handle the King Cobras. I told my mother how I'd really like to get an Indigo and she kind of shrugged it off. As far as I recall, the Cobra on the roof was the one from the Serpentarium. Name a deadly snake and Bill Haast has either tamed it or been bitten by it. In 2019 The Sun reported on the tragic death of a boy, ten, who was killed by crocodile after being dragged from a boat in front of his horrified family. The animal was of no harm to anyone other than the fool who would allow his self to fall in. ( Because they wouldn't let me move here by myself.) Haast still grows somber when retelling the story: It was a Sunday. We considered him the Patron Saint of Junkies in those days. He bought a plot of land facing U.S. 1, south of Miami, then sold his house and started construction on the Serpentarium. Haast's death-defying act didn't disappoint. There he met and eloped with his first wife, Ann. Soon, his quest for exotic snakes stretched around the world. America is still arguing today about whether the Cincinnati Zoo should have shot and killed Harambe, a 17-year-old male, Become a member to support the independent voice of South Florida The hotel is an upscale luxury resort owned by Disney and is one of three hotels on the monorail line. When walking down a hallway, I passed an open door. [8], Haast closed the Serpentarium in 1984, and moved to Utah for a few years. He died of natural. As my mother was paying our admission, a worker rushed over to tell us that we were going to miss the King cobra show. More than twenty of those individuals recovered.[7]. Luckily though, I see from visiting one of the links that there is an attraction to view snake milking in St. Later that day, boy did he get back at the girl that had done this. I read here about the boy who was killed after falling into the crocidile pit. My heart is shattered. Bill was sort of surprised but actually seemed happy to see me. The incident comes after a four-year-old boy fell into the gorilla enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo last month. A krait anti-venom was shipped from India, but when it arrived after a 48-hour flight, he refused to accept it. His unique contribution to medicine earned him widespread recognition. Today Dec26, 2008 I am looking at his picture some 45 years later and hooks the same. It was in 1960, I was in my junior year at San fernando Valley State college at Northridge ,California. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Police said witnesses described the alligator as being between 1.2 and 2.1 metres long. When the show headed to Florida, Haast convinced his parents to let him go. Sheppard gave injections to patients with MS. His clinic became famous and was featured on CBS's 60 Minutes. Those were great times and i'll never forget them! Suddenly, he heard screaming and ran toward the commotion. But his wife said that the crocodile, named Cookie, was killed and buried in the same pit where it. Haast really wanted to find the cure or treatment for polio and feels he came close. That was South Dade, Florida, relatively free of the most venomous snakes because Bill Hass and the Serpentarium.