I helped the staff along with about 6-8 other visitors in straightening out the snake (as much as he would let us), to be measured. When you left his exhibit, you loved the snakes, and I hasve never been afraid of them for the rest of my life. We also used to go to his show at the Serpentarium, and it fascinated my brother. 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. Most of the family agreed it was better than any other stops we made, including the newly opened Disney World. Cloud, a venom business where the public can pay to watch workers extract venom from snakes. Living In Ms. we had plenty of cotton mouths copperheads and assorted others. He was in a special hospital room on site with feet and hands swollen into black balls and other life threatening injuries incurred from what I recall as being a diamondback rattler bite. Tonight at Walt Disney's Grand Floridian Hotel crews search Seven Seas Lagoon for possible alligator attack victim pic.twitter.com/lVSOxivh05. It stood almost eye level with Bill and lunged repeatedly as it advanced across the floor toward him. I grew up in Hialeah,snake hunting was one of the cool things we did back in the day.We'd ride our stingrays out to milam elementary w 16 ave and catch decays ,ring necks ,yellow rats ,red rats,garter snakes,blue racers.We'd ride are bikes accross the palmetto expressway and go into the woods behind the church caught an indigo there once ,it was laying accross a tree stump that was lucky back 1971.I was 12.It was 6ft long I feed it eggs ,raw chicken breast,a big toad once .It had bright red under the chin.Mr haast told me how to get the lice off it at his snake show.I called the serpentarium every so often to ask various questions on snakes.The guy on the phone was cool and calm he'd answer your questions politely it had to be Bill to us kids he was like superman.Saw his show 5 times.Man !that indigo Mrs haast had was really pretty ,my mom was talking about that snake at big family get together in wis. last new years.We sure are lucky we grew up their! More animals than anyone I ever knew, and of every variety. Although the boy's father did not blame Haast for his son's death, Haast told reporters he wanted nothing else to do with the Serpentarium and, in any event, would never again house crocodiles there. 'There is no reason to visit Miami. Back in the 1980's, I lived in the Pepperwood S/D (about one block south of Kendell Drive, just west of Palmetto Expy). I'm recommending this site to my grandson, Piers and now that I'm a snowbird residing in Ft. Myers part time, I'll keep watching for news of your 100th birthday party! One particular snake that I remember from my childhood visits to the Serpentarium was a big, oversized Florida Eastern Diamond Back rattlesnake. See the article in its original context from. In 1984, Haast, who is said to have never fully recovered from the . Don Julio told the Mail Online: "The hardest thing for my wife was seeing the crocodile float with my son's body.". 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! My dad and I still talk about this over 40 years later! We took 3-4 water snakes there that closely resembled the deadly Water Moccasin, only to be turned away penniless. As a young teenager in the mid 1960's I was very interested in all types of reptiles. We looked out and could see both Bill and Nancy peeking out from their office with a big grin! Haast started collecting snakes and, after initial opposition from his mother, was allowed to keep them at home. I'm very glad I did. He made special trips, bringing back such perilous species as cobras and saw-scaled vipers. IE 11 is not . "I know a lot of people in Miami still remember the Serpentarium and wonder what became of me," he said, "that's why I'm talking to you.". Great memories. Read More on The US Sun. Another interesting attraction there were the large Galopagas turtles he had. I recall the incident where the child died -- it was very tragic and Mr. Haast clearly felt terrible about it. Res ''I miss the excitement of the Serpentarium,'' Haast said. People were lining up for a show. 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. That was South Dade, Florida, relatively free of the most venomous snakes because Bill Hass and the Serpentarium. They gave me nightmares. I asked him one evening if I could walk with him he said yes in the baritone of gentle command. His unique contribution to medicine earned him widespread recognition. ''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. Even though the Serpentarium was there, some people still got bitten, and died from the poisonous snakes. 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. Did you know that Charlie Baxter aka MT GRAVES IS STILL ALIVE & is one hell of a nice guy. ''Haast was an iconic figure in the snake world and innovator in the field of venom collecting,'' said Fobb, who keeps a photo of Haast and a king cobra in his office. 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. I've outlived all my friends down there.'' I graduated from there in 1979. I said yes, I got to feed his snakes white mice, met his daughter (she had a pet lion), used to catch snakes and sell them to Mr. 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. He has written a book called 'The World of Snakes. ' Haast's mental trauma over the boy's death eventually led to the closure of the Serpentarium on South Dixie Highway. But none the less just because Mr. Hass felt bad about what happened he, Haas, shot the alligator for no reason. All times AEDT (GMT +11). When walking down a hallway, I passed an open door. Demings said there had been no other recent reports of similar alligator attacks on the lake. There's a picture of me and an indigo snake, probably nearly as long as I was tall. 90. During World War II, he was aboard flights that delivered food and medicine to Africa and Asia. We visited the Serp many times as a family visiting from Illinois and I have an autographed copy of Cobras In His Garden along with several movies that I gotta get moved over to DVD's.. Doc always took time to shake hands or pose for a picturetime that in retrospect I know he didn't really have to give, but he always did. carpet warehouse became the new home for several large ( 2 to 4 foot ) lizards, which I guess, were living in the trees and were never captured. I am so glad to have found this site. Boy, 8, mauled to death by crocodile in front of horrified parents after being dragged underwater as he played. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Photo: Orange County Sheriff's Office. When my family came to Miami in1961, they left me in Lakeland, Florida with my aunt and uncle, who happened to be an avid hunter/fisherman. Thanks for putting it up! I visited the Serpentarium in1969 as an 18-year-old on spring break with a buddy. boy killed by crocodile at miami serpentarium. After Bill sold the Serpentarium, our 12,000 sq.ft. God bless Mr. Haas, and all the good he has done, on top of the lives he has saved through his bravery and research. When I was young I was always interested in snakes. Suddenly, he heard screaming and ran toward the commotion. So, on a trip to visit my parents in Miami, when Scot was two (1977), we took him to the Miami Serpentarium. Authorities said the boy, who fell about three metres, was expected to recover after being picked up and dragged by Harambe for about 10 minutes. A krait anti-venom was shipped from India, but when it arrived after a 48-hour flight, he refused to accept it. Every so often the evening news would announce "Bill Haast had been bitten by a poisonous snake AGAIN." Haast really wanted to find the cure or treatment for polio and feels he came close. "[7], Haast turned 100 in December 2010[10] and died on June 15, 2011.[1]. And we often talked of many things when she came in to South Dixie Amoco to have the well-maintained car serviced. Tragically, a 6-year-old boy fell in and died in 1977. Haast saw that a boy had fallen into the crocodile pit. . [9] In an August 2008 Florida Trend interview, he stated, "Aging is hard. He said at that time if he lived to be 100 it would possibly prove that snake venom is anti aging. I'm sure they still carry around enough guilt, even after all this time, without you adding to it. brightcove.createExperiences (); The toddler who was snatched by an alligator at a Disney resort in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday, died as a result of . Keepers were forced to shoot and kill the 17-year-old gorilla named Harambe. 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. What a rush. Police said witnesses described the alligator as being between 1.2 and 2.1 metres long. I thought that was pretty cool back then, and still do. When he was 19 he joined a man who had a roadside snake exhibit, and went with him to Florida. It's a shame good things must always come to an end, isn't it? As many families do, the Malaysian family had a get together with some friends. However, the venom eventually did affect him, and he was taken to a hospital where it took him several days to recover. Sheriff Demings said a recovery operation was under way to find the childs body in the lagoon and bring some closure to this family. After a 15-hour search, the attack was certainly not survivable at this point, Sheriff Demings said. "We can't be here, because we spend every time remembering how nice it was to have him here with us. 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. That might have occurred, since some recent field guides I have examined do not include haasti. In 1982 when I was twelve I moved from England to Hollywood, Fl with my family. But he still wakes up each morning to turn snake venom from across the globe into freeze-dried powder for medical laboratories. He purchased his first exotic snake, a diamondback rattler, from a catalog. My uncle introduced me to the Florida Eastern Diamondback that grew up to 6 feet in length. Not sure she had quite the same fascination that I did but it's still very memorable. 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 Serpentarium's landmark 35-foot-high, hooded, concrete-and-stucco cobra stuck out its forked tongue at motorists and arriving patrons on South Dixie Highway and Southwest 126th Street. Hanley "Doc" Harding, Aurora Protection Specialists. 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. A 911 call was received at 9.16pm local time. Eventually Bill charmed that snake and on one of its downstrikes quicker than the snake could react Bill had it behind the head and then as a finale milked a big load of venom. He was a great neighborhhod Dad, and I will always remember the fun we had with he, his wife and his children. We will have to go and visit the place that a man built who was inspired by Mr. Haast. There, sitting at a desk was Bill Haast. So long Mr. Haast, you were a great man. boy killed by crocodile at miami serpentarium. Ms Popp, who is visiting the resort, said the search party was growing by the minute. His first king cobra bite was in 1962. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. The Serpentarium opened at the end of 1947, still not completed. Thank you, Dr. Haast, for all your good works and trailblazing in this still to be fully recognized work.and for the fascinating memories. Newsweek has contacted crocodile experts for comment. 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. He had so much venom in him that we were told even a bee sting could kill him. This will be of interest to some out there. 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. Turns out that I was talking to Bill Hast. 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. 1, my mother carrying a large snake onboard an airplane, and no. "When he closed his doors there was a lapse and there were some fatalities related to exotic snake bites," said Chuck Seigert, of the Miami unit. I lived across South Dixie Highway from the Miami Serpentarium. 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 received his first cobra bite less than a year after he started his immunization program. When I was in high school I worked at the Serpentarium and even helped out with the King Cobra Shows on the weekend. Bill was like a super hero to me as a kid. I hope you live to 100 to prove snake venon is an anti aging wonder. Friday, his wife Nancy put his lifetime tally at 172. I saw so many people face their phobias of snakes and actually touch one for the first time. "Any time I saw an unusual snake I brought it back," Haast said, sitting on cushioned patio furniture. The Serpentarium was a magical place and Mr. Haast was a very interesting fellow. He had a clinic called St. Jude Clinic on SW 8 Street. I don't remember which one was the infamous "Cookie". Bill was an outstanding dedicated man. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. It was damaged by a hurricane in 2005 and they just built a new one. ''Failing at this is one of my biggest regrets,'' Haast said. ``I can't complain. They all screamed, then everyone had a good laughed together! After his wife became pregnant, Haast lost his job when the speakeasy he was working at was raided by IRS agents. "Miami was in Bill's heart to the end," his widow said. I also supplied 40 desert sidewinder rattlesnakes for Jim to exhibit in a large glass fronted cage filled with sea sand. I was the only customer there that early. ", Twitter accolades came in from across the globe. He always survived and promoted his anti-snake venom that saved many other lives. Haast went to the pit with a pistol the very next day and shot the croc. I well remember Bill Haast and his snake "milking" shows. I read here about the boy who was killed after falling into the crocidile pit. At the time of the TV airing Mr. Haast was 87 years old and quite handsome he looked no older that early 50s. While there, a gentleman drove in with a huge python he caught on his property and had in a wire basket. In 2002 a 23-year-old German tourist was killed in Kakadu National Park by a 15-foot, 1,100-pound (4.6-meter, 500-kilogram) saltwater crocodile when she disregarded warning signs and went for a . My hands served me well.'' Furthermore, you shouldn't speak about how a parent should have kept a better eye on their dead son. I grew up in Miami and loved the Serpentarium. Besides the mayor's key, they gave him a firefighter's helmet bearing the unit's name: Venom 1. I stood, many times, on the grass in the little circle just feet from the Cobra at milking time. All this may be imaginative conjecture of a teenage boy.. .Once thing sure, though, Him and his wife sure looked scary, to we boys, in those white Drs. There were two fatal alligator attacks in Florida last year in the first reported deaths since 2007. Every year we took a field trip there, and every year I looked forward to it. As people gathered close Bill unlatched the door on the end of the cage. If snake venom holds the secret to a long life, then Bill Haast had the magic. While there, he ended up rooming with a moonshiner on the edge of the Everglades, and became proficient at capturing all kinds of snakes. 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. I'm glad I got to experience that part of S. Florida/s history, visiting The Serpentarium, now part of mine. He briefly lived in Utah and returned to Florida to live in Charlotte County 18 years ago. Dr. Ben Sheppard mentioned in the article helped me with my drug addiction in 1974. The family checked into the resort on June 12 and the boy was playing at the waters edge when the alligator stuck, according to eyewitnesses at the scene. I took care of Clarita Haast's original Continental Mark. He was a local celebrity known for something really worthwhile (unlike so many celebrities nowadays). I believe he gave them some of his blood with the anti-bodies and that saved their lives. His grey pleated linen trowsers were pressed and as spotless as his egyptian cotton White shirt, topped with a most stunning Pith Helment. Police spokesperson Rohan Shah Ahmad said: "There were severe injuries on the boy's body including his waist, chest and stomach." 13 We watched Mr. Haast with fascination as he milked the snakes. This is greatl so good to know that Doc is still alive and doing at least some of what he loves best. On Thursday, members of the rescue unit came to shake Haast's hand. The boy's family never sued, accepting only the maximum insurance payment, Haast said. Small world. At the time I envisioned growing up and working for Bill, learning to snatch & milk snakes. "He's like an icon to people that know him," Cruz said. He died of natural causes on Wednesday in Punta Gorda, on Florida's west coast, where he had made his home. 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.
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