I got excited thinking it was a new toy. I can still recall watching a 12 or 14 ft gator, said to have been the largest but for its missing tail. By 1965 the Serpentarium housed more than 500 snakes in 400 cages and three pits in the courtyard. It was an experiment, but having received his first venomous snake bite as a teenager, Haast was used to risks. "Well my dear lad, if you should like I will write to my old friend from the war, Bill Hasst. The concrete & stucco cobra was the second icon of the Serpentarium. That photo is one of my favorite collectables. Crocodile Kills 11-Year-Old Boy Swimming In River, Reptile Killed 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. My girlfiends and I would catch 7 - 8 foot Indio snakes and we would beg my mother to drive us over to the Serpentarium so we could sell the snakes to Dr. Haas. Suddenly, he heard screaming and ran toward the commotion. "We can't be here, because we spend every time remembering how nice it was to have him here with us. "He was into it for the science on how snake venom affected the body," said the grand-niece who worked at The Serpentarium as a teen in the 1980s. He briefly lived in Utah and returned to Florida to live in Charlotte County 18 years ago. 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. That might have occurred, since some recent field guides I have examined do not include haasti. Tatiana Daz, regional director of the Limn Red Cross, has tried to explain the attack. Today, Van Horn owns Reptile World Serpentarium near St. Everyone sold them to the Serpentarium for $1.25/Ft, good money in those days. It was a very low wall. This subspecies, restricted to the Florida Keys, obviously was named for Bill Haast. He was back at it next week when we came again to fill the popcorn machines. 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. Thanks for the memories, as Bob Hope would say. More than twenty of those individuals recovered.[7]. In North Carolina, a chemist offered this salute: "Resssssssst in Peace Bill Haast.". Boy, 8, dragged underwater & killed by crocodile in front of horrified But I must say he had a good sense of humor too. By 1984, interest in such roadside attractions like the Serpentarium had waned. Lee Martines - Growing up in Miami in the 40s and 50s I would visit the Serpentarium every couple of years and always marveled at the variety of snakes and the process of extracting the venom from the poisonous ones. 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. But the FDA shut it down and banned the drug, saying PROven had not been properly tested for humans. on. Newsweek has contacted crocodile experts for comment. My first visit to the Serpentarium was in the summer of '56 when I visited family friends who lived on Key Biscayne. He placed a live, non-venomous snake into one of the supposedly empty boxes to be cleaned. Quite a memory! He would shove the snake's fangs into the top of a vial and watch the venom trickle down. Haast still grows somber when retelling the story: It was a Sunday. Furthermore, you shouldn't speak about how a parent should have kept a better eye on their dead son. Parents Don Julio and Margini Fernndez Flores were so traumatized by their son's death, they plan to move to Nicaragua to try and protect their other young children, aged between three and 16. A rare survivor, he declared himself doing "very well, anxious to get back to work.". Keepers were forced to shoot and kill the 17-year-old gorilla named Harambe. 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. The original cobra was a metal structure that was twisted into oblivion by a rare tornado in the late 50's or early 60's. After many years of being a Bill Haast fan, I was thrilled to be there. . I got my love of snakes (I'm a girl) growing up in Miami going repeatedly to the Serpentarium. In August 2020, the remains of a 14-year-old boy were cut from a crocodile's stomach after the reptile ate him alive. Dr. Ben Sheppard mentioned in the article helped me with my drug addiction in 1974. 76. They had the best house! Sheriff Demings said the father suffered from minor scratches on his hands and believed the mother also entered the water at one point in a desperate attempt to retrieve their child. As a young Canadian boy back in the 1960`s. At the UM, Haast led in the testing of the serum on monkeys. His contribution to antivenin science is unparalleled and earned him recognition throughout his life. Crocodile attack - Wikipedia 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. Sheriff Demings said police had not received any recent reports or complaints about nuisance alligators but authorities will conduct further investigations. Thanks for jogging my memory. 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. He didn't do it out of anger because the crocodile was just doing what comes naturally to him, Clarita Haast said. When I was a small boy of 8-9 years old in the mid sixties, a distinguished gentleman would walk by our house in the early morning like clockwork. It was buried on the grounds. If you are the site owner (or you manage this site), please whitelist your IP or if you think this block is an error please open a support ticket and make sure to include the block details (displayed in the box below), so we can assist you in troubleshooting the issue. I will ask him to sign a copy and send it to you and your brother." 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. Smocks. Most people working in the biological field take some pride in having a species or subspecies named for them, but Haast seemed to have none of that. Haast eventually returned home, married and enrolled in airplane-mechanic school, but Florida called. In the first chapter a bunch of young boys are headed to a swimming hole; one boy races ahead and dives in. ''It was the best snake show there ever will be,'' said George Van Horn, a frequent visitor who now runs a similar attraction in Central Florida. The boy's father and uncle jumped into the ?it and tried to pry open the crocodile's mouth. Haast went to the pit with a pistol the very next day and shot the croc. Haast eventually sold his family home to buy the land on South Dixie Highway where the Serpentarium would rise. The hotel is an upscale luxury resort owned by Disney and is one of three hotels on the monorail line. A doctor at the hospital where the boy, was taken said the child was practically dead on arrival from drowning in association with multiple traumatic injuries., See the article in its original context from. "Not to mention pretty damn smart. CANCUN -- A 12-year-old boy who was bitten by a crocodile at a Mexican resort spoke to "Good Morning America" on Wednesday in his first television interview. For almost four decades, Haast charmed curious tourists who flocked to his South Dixie Highway attraction, the Miami Serpentarium, to watch his snake show. I recently saw Mr. Hasst on wild kingdon with Jack Hanna (aired 1997 maybe). In 1977, a 6-year-old fell into a reptile pit at the Serpentarium and was killed by an 1,800-pound crocodile named Cookie. Crocodile attack earns Florida swimmers dubious distinction He purchased his first exotic snake, a diamondback rattler, from a catalog. We took 3-4 water snakes there that closely resembled the deadly Water Moccasin, only to be turned away penniless. I was about 9 yrs old, and always remembered the story vividly. ", Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Haast retained custody of their son, Bill Jr. and continued to work as a mechanic for Pan Am while he built the Serpentarium. Cobra Cocktails, a Mad Scientist and his Roadside Serpentarium According to eyewitnesses, the toddlers mother, Ms Graves, was playing with him at the time and also dived into the water. At 19, he got a job with a roadside snake attraction. As my mother was paying our admission, a worker rushed over to tell us that we were going to miss the King cobra show. When the show headed to Florida, Haast convinced his parents to let him go. Thanks for the update on Bill Haast! But the reptile managed to crawl away into a moat in the 50foot square pit, dragging the child with him. More animals than anyone I ever knew, and of every variety. There, sitting at a desk was Bill Haast. I knocked and went in. When I was young I was always interested in snakes. I visited the Serpentarium in1969 as an 18-year-old on spring break with a buddy. The boy and another friend decided to go . My heart is shattered. CANCUN -- A 12-year-old boy who was bitten by a crocodile at a Mexican resort spoke to "Good Morning America" on Wednesday in his first television interview. 12-foot crocodile . These Valuable Pennies Are Worth Thousands. The event left Haast shaken and the next day, he shot the 1800-pound crocodile nine times. My granddaddy was Robert Kundtz, horticulurist. At first he believed his immunization to cobra venom would protect him from the krait venom, and continued with his regular activities for several hours. Palm vipers. That was South Dade, Florida, relatively free of the most venomous snakes because Bill Hass and the Serpentarium. Set in the American South in the 20th century. I visited the Serpentarium two time back in 1958 and 1967, it was a very interesting place to tour. I remember Cookie on the lawn, too! Haast finally sold the 5.2-acre lot, now in Pinecrest, for $3.2 million and headed to Utah for more snake research. I regretfully declined. Look at how big the transplanted Pythons get and that they thrive and fight the alligators in the Everglades. In the late 40's and early 50's I lived in Marathon on the Keys. Demings said there had been no other recent reports of similar alligator attacks on the lake. But its very rare and it really is a shock to us to see this happen.. I used to take the snakes I would find to a lady named Alma Bishop, who had a little shop in the Flamingo Bar. The cheerleaders and marching band of South Miami High, home of the Cobras, screamed and pounded their feet. It's been five years since an alligator snatched 2-year-old Lane Graves who was playing on the beach at Walt Disney World's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, dragging the boy into the Seven Seas . I also remember hearing a story about him saving the lives of GI`s in Vietnam who had jumped from a helicopter into some poisonous snakes. He would tell us stories about going to Boy Scout Camp with this extraordinary man, Bill Hasst. I first heard of Bill Haast around 1955, when reading a "man's magazine" (as they were called back then, probably Argosy. 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. This is greatl so good to know that Doc is still alive and doing at least some of what he loves best. "[7], Haast turned 100 in December 2010[10] and died on June 15, 2011.[1]. 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. Creator Of Miami Serpentarium Dies At 100 - CBS Miami - CBS News He is truely an extraordinary man. He has written a book called 'The World of Snakes. ' He was carrying a snake-bite kit, and had a friend inject him with antivenom; the bite hospitalized him for a week. I worked at the Serpentarium for roughly a year, about two years before it closed. When he was 19 he joined a man who had a roadside snake exhibit, and went with him to Florida. Looking back I'm glad it was in the dark because I never saw the snake Approximately an hour later my foot started aching and my parents looked all over my legs and feet for a bite mark. 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. Jaws dropped. I couldn't take the anti-venom so Dr. Haast instructed the hospital on how to treat me. Bill Haast (December 30, 1910 June 15, 2011[1]) was the owner and operator, from 1947 until 1984, of the Miami Serpentarium, a tourist attraction south of Miami, Florida, where he extracted venom from snakes in front of paying customers. boy killed by crocodile at miami serpentarium. Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his wife and son. 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. 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. Now, he believes, the long-term benefits of the shots have spared him from many of the maladies of old age. A second boy, 15, was bitten but escaped. Every so often the evening news would announce "Bill Haast had been bitten by a poisonous snake AGAIN." Haast calls it one of the lowest points in his life. By the mid-1960s he was putting on five shows a day, dressed in a white lab coat, extracting venom to sell for scientific experimentation. Oh my gosh..I worked on Bill and Nancy's house in P.G 15-20 years agomold issueshumidity problems..put an air exchanger in their snake area to control odorbut had strict guidelines to maintain high humidity. The resorts beach pool is next to the lake and overlooks the Seven Seas Lagoon. Television, a book, big crowds, all helped to build up Haast's image and popularity. "He was a really nice man with a big heart," said his grand-niece Michelle Haast of Miami. It taught me an important life lessons about fearto just face fears because most of the time our anxiety really isn't worth it. My hands served me well.'' IE 11 is not . 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. One day I noticed his handshis fingersthey were deformend, mangled, sort of like a something from an old horror moviea result--one of many, of having been bitten by so many venomous snakesI think his own blood was an anti-venom, as a result of being bitten so much, I think he used to distribute this "antivenom (his blood)worldwide to snakebite vicims. My uncle made a point to tell me to look up this site. After the United States entered World War II, Haast served as a flight engineer on Pan Am airliners flying under contract to the United States Army Air Corps. One particular snake that I remember from my childhood visits to the Serpentarium was a big, oversized Florida Eastern Diamond Back rattlesnake. He was able to identify the type of snake that bit me by the bite marks. The boy's father was helpless to save his son from the creature. ''I know some people have said that about Bill, but he is one of the hardest-working, most diligent, focused individuals you'll ever meet,'' said Van Horn, 62, who worked at the Serpentarium as a young man. "And in the end the research could take care of itself.". For some in Miami, though, the whole debate has stirred up painful memories of another tragic incident. I stood, many times, on the grass in the little circle just feet from the Cobra at milking time. 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. The cobra that Elliot Arkin made was the one inside the building across from the office. https://t.co/suskABi6UPhttps://t.co/AfEdaZei5G. Still recognized as a top authority on venomous snakes, Haast, who moved his snakes to a lab on his sprawling Charlotte County complex in 1990 (he no longer has snakes there), said he answers questions from callers every day. We visited the Serpentarium and it was an amazing experience that I remember vividly to this day. 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? Authorities estimate there are between 1.3 million and 2 million alligators across the state. National television shows hosted by Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas and Johnny Carson invited him or featured him during visits to Miami. In the 1970s, along with his friend, respected Miami physician Ben Sheppard, Haast distributed PROven, a venom-based serum. And we often talked of many things when she came in to South Dixie Amoco to have the well-maintained car serviced. the shows were fantastic , there was so much to explore everything was clean and the whole haast family were always charming.my family became amateur experts on exotic snakes and have read and watched everything we could over the years.but nothing ever compared to mr. haast. The boy was swimming in a river with a friend on Thursday when the incident occurred. Authorities contacted the boys family to express their condolences, Sheriff Demings said, adding there is no question we will lose a two-year-old child. I hope you live to 100 to prove snake venon is an anti aging wonder. 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. There was something unique and special about living old Miami, Its individuals like Bill and The Serpentarium that paved Miami's history in a way like no other place in the world. FOR THE MIAMI HERALD King cobras. NEW Police have found evidence a 12-year-old was killed in a crocodile attack in northern Australia. Haast could not make the ceremony, so part of the ceremony came to him. 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. They considered him a glorified snake-handler, a showman, a medicine man. When I was a child in the 1950's, Mama made us stay in the house. In 1954 Haast was bitten by a common, or blue, krait. My dad and I still talk about this over 40 years later! 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. Thank you Diana, and all the other folks who have posted, for posting your personal memories of Bill Haast and your insights that the general public would never know about if you hadn't written in. While on my honeymmon in Orlando we rode down to Miami to the Serpentarium and watched Bill milk some snakes. Haast started collecting snakes and, after initial opposition from his mother, was allowed to keep them at home. 12-year-old boy Charlie Buhl describes crocodile attack, rescue at I am so glad to have found this site. Sheriff Demings said this type of thing had never happened before in Disneys 45 years of operations. "My other children act strong, but one realises that they are sad. Like for so many others, the Serpentarium was a place of wonder for me in my youth. The boy's family never sued, accepting only the maximum insurance payment, Haast said. Authorities found the remains of the . Now the spotlight is on three other deaths that are linked to the case. They gave me nightmares. Staff at the resort were unwilling to comment on the incident. 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. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Haast's second wife, Clarita, simply narrated, setting the mood for the audience. Haast really wanted to find the cure or treatment for polio and feels he came close. The crocodile is believed to measure 2.5 to three . My Parents said we know Mr. Haast would you like to see his snake farm. Earlier on Wednesday, Orlando authorities told reporters there was no question that the young boy was dead. I remember seeing an alligator gulping down whole chickens and being allowed to handle an Indigo snake after Mr. Haast's presentation. He later received commendations from President Gerald Ford and Miami Mayor Stephen Clark. Eventually, his collection became one of the most diverse venomous snakes on the planet.
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