The boy and another friend decided to go . i grew -up in south fla. in the sixties through the eighties,reading about bill haast brought back so many great memories.it was a huge treat when my mom and dad would pile all five of us kids in our station wagon a few times a year and spend the day at the miami serpentarium. Jim F. Thank you for bringing back many many wonderful memories. What amemorable time, nobody was dissapointed and we all calmed down and talked quietly afterwaeds. NEW Police have found evidence a 12-year-old was killed in a crocodile attack in northern Australia. Knowing me from my letters, he seemed genuinely interested in the details I told him about my own small collection. 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. All he did was yell ouch and that concludes the show for today. The incident did not end Haast's interest in venom research. I worked at the Serpentarium for roughly a year, about two years before it closed. 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. When the show headed to Florida, Haast convinced his parents to let him go. "And in the end the research could take care of itself.". I live in Sarasota now and totally enjoy the water, I think those times are responceable. 10 junio, 2022 the contact angle on a thigh and drive tackle is. 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. One of the girls fainted right in my dad's arms! 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. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. Thinking back, that have been Cookie. I'm 5'2 from s city in north Jersey myself, and the snake was about my size! Children shrieked in horrified glee. A crocodile seized a 5-year-old boy and dragged him into a river in western Mexico as his parents watched, according to authorities who said the child's body was found Thursday. BOY KILLED The attraction prospered until a tragedy in 1977. [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. Haast eventually sold his family home to buy the land on South Dixie Highway where the Serpentarium would rise. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. I grew up in North Miami Beach and remember going to the Serpentarium many times, but my favorites were Sundays when the King Cobra came out. I grew up in Miami and loved the Serpentarium. An eight-year-old boy was mauled to death by a crocodile just metres from his family home in Malaysia. Sometimes, you feel useless. There were eyewitnesses here who certainly saw the child taken under the water, Sheriff Demings said. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission executive director Nick Wiley said during a press conference that the incident was extremely rare and that officers were doing everything they could to prevent another attack. 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. Im just here to say a prayer, he said. As my mother was paying our admission, a worker rushed over to tell us that we were going to miss the King cobra show. His cane was an exotic mixture of ebony and ivory. He would shove the snake's fangs into the top of a vial and watch the venom trickle down. While there, a gentleman drove in with a huge python he caught on his property and had in a wire basket. I gathered from what he said that it would not bother him in the least were this variety of snake removed from its separate classification and returned to the larger taxon from which someone had extracted it. It was a close call, one that underscored the county's need for an antivenin bank, Cruz said. He closed up the business in 1984, moved to Utah for a few years but returned to Florida in 1990, and settled in a Punta Gorda ranch with Nancy, his third wife, and some 400 snakes that supplied his Miami Serpentarium Laboratories. My dad and I still talk about this over 40 years later! Finding this site reminds me what saints my parents were! 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. "[7], Haast turned 100 in December 2010[10] and died on June 15, 2011.[1]. His unique contribution to medicine earned him widespread recognition. The boy's family never sued, accepting only the maximum insurance payment, Haast said. Later that day, boy did he get back at the girl that had done this. My oldest brother had met a girl who, I believe, had worked at the Miami Serpentarium. Since the county revived the antivenin bank in 1998, it has saved 1,000 snake-bite victims, Seigert said. It was'nt the aninmal's fault that boy fell into the pit (the alligator was where he was suppose to be. However, sometime in my teens I developed a real fear of snakes, somewhat unusual since there were no poisonous varieties in my area. 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. Before this, the crocodile had lived for 20 years in the pit without incident. World; North America; Alligator drags child into lake near Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. On September 3, 1977, a 6-year-old boy sitting atop the wall surrounding the Serpentarium's alligator and crocodile pit fell into the pit, and a 12-foot crocodile lunged ten feet and grabbed the boy. My parents stayed at the motel pool, while I was the first one thru the door at the Serpentarium that day. 'There is no reason to visit Miami. 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. In 1964, a book was written about him. The location of where the 2yr old is missing. I couldn't take the anti-venom so Dr. Haast instructed the hospital on how to treat me. It was not that far from us and yet we were not fearful. I recall Carlita as being a very exotic woman with her eyes made up just like snake's eyes! But Haast had detractors. My granddaddy was Robert Kundtz, horticulurist. But I always felt I would live this long. The animal was of no harm to anyone other than the fool who would allow his self to fall in. I'm surprised to hear the stories about the cobra being damaged enroute to SMSH. Earlier on Wednesday, Orlando authorities told reporters there was no question that the young boy was dead. We got a motel room across the road from the Serpentarium. I . In an enclosure) his parents should have supervised him much better. With 43 types of antivenin, a diverse enough supply to treat 90 percent of all bites, the unit's antivenin bank supplies the U.S. military and hospitals around the nation -- sometimes the world. It was buried on the grounds. #BreakingNews #Orlando pic.twitter.com/8AUeiXdmBk, Search crews at Grand Floridian Beach pic.twitter.com/wTCsxsJwNO, Search party is growing pic.twitter.com/AwpHtHwgXy. As a girl in the early 60's, I lived down the block from Dr Haast and his family. World Crocodile attack Indonesia Crocodiles Alligator. EARLY START The story of how Haast made his way to Florida has a certain Huck Finn appeal. When he was 19 he joined a man who had a roadside snake exhibit, and went with him to Florida. Haast killed the croc the next day. 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. I will forever carry fond memories of "Doc" and how he turned my life around. independent local journalism in Miami. I somehow got to this page from an old email I found and did the Google thing for " Bill "Miami Snakeman" Haast " and here I find myself with those shared memories. 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. [4] As of 2008 he continued to have his wife inject him with small amounts of snake venom. With his certification, he moved to Miami to work for Pan American World Airways. Dr. Ben Sheppard mentioned in the article helped me with my drug addiction in 1974. 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. The Serpentarium opened at the end of 1947, still not completed. 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. Haast's passing reminded South Floridians of a certain age of the bygone era when entrepreneurs could set up quirky roadside attractions along Dixie Highway, US 1, to thrill both local school kids and wintering vacationers who fled the cold. At 19, he got a job with a roadside snake attraction. "We can't be here, because we spend every time remembering how nice it was to have him here with us. When I was a little girl, we lived in Kendall. I would vacation with my parents in Florida in the summer months. 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. Just heard the mother grieving her baby. Shame on Hass and the parents this poor animal was slaughtered. Donated several snakes over the years also, mostly coral snakes from Opa Locka area. Keep it up Mr. Haast. by | Jun 10, 2022 | flying saucer bar locations | metro flexline service manual | Jun 10, 2022 | flying saucer bar locations | metro flexline service manual Their daughters, Nya and Shantee probably do not even remeber me (it was in the early seventies). 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. Mr. Hasst brought out a huge 16 foot long King Cobra and kept it controlled on the lawn in front of us. Icon: Bill Haast. And I still do as if it happened yesterday. Haast physically extracted venom from venomous snakes by holding them by the head and forcing them to bite a rubber membrane covering a vial. IE 11 is not . Haast could not make the ceremony, so part of the ceremony came to him. When I was in high school I worked at the Serpentarium and even helped out with the King Cobra Shows on the weekend. On that trip, I held the very long Indigo snake, and my friend, Ann, took a picture of me. "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. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Haast's second wife, Clarita, simply narrated, setting the mood for the audience. I well remember Bill Haast and his snake "milking" shows. I will think of my uncle as I visit. I remember one time that one got the better of him and bit him in the neck. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. As a result of the damage, Haast gave up handling venomous snakes, and no longer kept any at his facility. 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. Eventually, his collection became one of the most diverse venomous snakes on the planet. I asked him one evening if I could walk with him he said yes in the baritone of gentle command. That was in 1971 and I kept that car until 3 years ago when I sold it for 35000.00 in pieces. 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". Haast was born in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1910. It took a group of people to get . 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. Miami's independent source of Back in the 1980's, I lived in the Pepperwood S/D (about one block south of Kendell Drive, just west of Palmetto Expy). He shot the 1800-pound crocodile nine times with a Luger pistol, yet it was still an hour before it died. Bowker had hooked. As a result of handling these snakes, Haast had been bitten 172 times by mid-2008,[4] all of which but the last few were validated by the Guinness Book of World Records "for surviving the most deadly snake bites", a distinction Haast disliked as he did not think being bitten was a goal to be attained or admired.[5]. Whenever we remember what happened, it is impossible not to shed tears.". The cheerleaders and marching band of South Miami High, home of the Cobras, screamed and pounded their feet. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Today, a McDonald's and a shopping center sit where the Serpentarium once thrilled. FOR THE MIAMI HERALD King cobras. Our carpet showroom and warehaouse was open on Monday & Friday nights and some very strange noises were heard at night as you would walk through the warehouse. Tatiana Daz, regional director of the Limn Red Cross, has tried to explain the attack. Today, out of print, it's coveted by collectors and sells on eBay for more than $100, a testament to Haast's popularity. I have watched tv programs about him on Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel. In the area of the Serpentarium, pigmy rattlesnakes abounded. As far as I recall, the Cobra on the roof was the one from the Serpentarium. We will have to go and visit the place that a man built who was inspired by Mr. Haast. [9] In an August 2008 Florida Trend interview, he stated, "Aging is hard. But I remember leaning over the small wall to look closer at that croc when my feet slipped and I pitched forward towards the pit. VENOM `POSTER BOY' The medical establishment -- and the Food and Drug Administration -- never bought into Haast's enthusiasm for the lethal snake juice as treatment for multiple sclerosis, lupus, arthritis and Parkinson's disease. "I could become a poster boy for the benefits of venom," Haast boasted. Horses had developed resistance to the poisons through the same process, and the blood of those horses was used to create life-saving antivenin. 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. 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. He agreed to chat only by telephone with a Miami Herald reporter. "Any time I saw an unusual snake I brought it back," Haast said, sitting on cushioned patio furniture. More animals than anyone I ever knew, and of every variety. It was an experiment, but having received his first venomous snake bite as a teenager, Haast was used to risks. This time it came out! The experiments gave encouraging results, but were still in preliminary clinical trials when the Salk polio vaccine was released in 1955. It is unclear whether the attack was fatal. As I was sitting there I heard a big CHOMP and turned around to see one huge animal falling back into the pitmissed me by about a foothorseshoes and hand-grenadeseh? Needless to say I was quite nervous also, thinking of what might happen if that snake went through the crowd. There, sitting at a desk was Bill Haast. ''At 95, he doesn't like to do anything that takes time away from his lab work,'' added his wife. Adrian Zorzut; Published: 14:52, 10 Nov 2022; Updated: 16:08, 10 Nov 2022; Jaws dropped. Read More on The US Sun. I thought that was pretty cool back then, and still do. The attackers included cobras, a krait, green mambas, a pygmy rattlesnake, a European asp and a palm viper. killed David Mark Wasson of West Palm Beach, Fla. I then got a "thank you". On the 2nd trip, an entire day was planned for me there. It's a shame good things must always come to an end, isn't it? Thank you for the bio of this incredible man. . If snake venom holds the secret to a long life, then Bill Haast had the magic. Legend has it that the Timacuan indians who lived there before the European settlers arrived, revered these snakes as Gods. "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. Haast's death-defying act didn't disappoint. There's a picture of me and an indigo snake, probably nearly as long as I was tall. ''I always meant for the attraction to support the venom research, but it just kept growing and growing.