I was 16 yrs.old and going outside at night with no shoes on and stepped on the snake in the dark. The medical examiner . I was fascinated watching them put Mr Haast's feeding tube down and feed the snake. I sure do remember Mr. Haast as I bought the 1969 GT500 Shelby that he once owned. His first wife, Ann, divorced him over his snake obsession. When the show headed to Florida, Haast convinced his parents to let him go. I rememer Bill Jr. when we rode motorcycles in scramble races out in North Dade. including an 8-year-old boy. More animals than anyone I ever knew, and of every variety. She finally agreed to let him keep a snake or two in cages. First responders rushed him to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he died. The substance is an essential ingredient in making a serum to treat snakebite victims. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. I always told people I'd live past 100, and I still feel I will. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. I saw so many people face their phobias of snakes and actually touch one for the first time. I'm 5'2 from s city in north Jersey myself, and the snake was about my size! I believe he gave them some of his blood with the anti-bodies and that saved their lives. Operating from 1946 to 1984, the Serpentarium drew as many as 50,000 annual visitors. I believe that it was one of the great thrills of my life. It was a close call, one that underscored the county's need for an antivenin bank, Cruz said. I'll never forget this experience. Six years later, he returned to Florida and opened the facility in Punta Gorda, where he raised and milked snakes but did not resume his snake show. We would eat the snakes, along with all the fish and snapping turtles we could catch from the Lakeland area lakes. Copyright 2023 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved. I think that this Dr., was loved by thousands of Miamians, because of him lives are save. Donated several snakes over the years also, mostly coral snakes from Opa Locka area. Unfortunately, in 1977 a six-year-old boy fell into the crocodile pit at Miami Serpentarium and was killed by "Cookie", a 12-ft-long crocodile. The snake attraction soon failed during the Depression, so Mr. Haast went to work for a bootlegger in the Everglades, where he was pleased to find plenty of snakes. Haast really wanted to find the cure or treatment for polio and feels he came close. Bill's dedication to helping science, medicine, and snakebite victims was always unwavering. Another interesting attraction there were the large Galopagas turtles he had. ''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 recall going with my brother to the airport to pick her up upon her arrival. We ran it over, and with a little coaxing, I convinced the driver to return. Jim F. Thank you for bringing back many many wonderful memories. What a rush. His second, Clarita, and third, Nancy, pitched in enthusiastically. The attackers included cobras, a krait, green mambas, a pygmy rattlesnake, a European asp and a palm viper. Detectives said when they arrived to the scene, people were attempting to take the teen to the hospital. 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 just have a curious nature," he said. Haast's death-defying act didn't disappoint. 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. 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 Besides his wife, the former Nancy Harrell, he is survived by two daughters, three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. Many times Haast donated his blood to be used in treating snake-bite victims when a suitable anti-venom was not available. His unique contribution to medicine earned him widespread recognition. It became bigger than I expected,'' he said. But thanks to Bill, there were not many poisonous snakes left in South Dade in the 60s-70s when I had an youngsters craving for catching reptiles. Like for so many others, the Serpentarium was a place of wonder for me in my youth. On Thursday, members of the rescue unit came to shake Haast's hand. As a young teenager in the mid 1960's I was very interested in all types of reptiles. The Miami Serpentarium, established in1946 as the first-of-it's kind premier and pioneering venom production laboratory in the world, was originated by the Founding Director, W. E. But Haast no longer can handle the forked-tongued killers that made him famous. I will enjoy looking over this site over time. View an extensive list of available venoms , William "Bill" Haast (1910 - 2011) was the Pioneer of Venom Production for Venom Research. I will think of my uncle as I visit. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipis cing elit. Bill Haast (December 30, 1910 - June 15, 2011) was the director of the Miami Serpentarium Laboratories, a facility near Miami, Florida that produces snake venom for medical and research use. We watched Mr. Haast with fascination as he milked the snakes. Miami-Dade police said they arrived to the scene to find a 16-year-old boy who had a gunshot wound to the back of his head. 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. I think one of the two men was Mr. Haast himself. 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. Bill Haast figured he had handled more than three million poisonous snakes over the years, and he had the hands to prove it. The police department is making a plea to the public for any information that could help them solve the case. 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. Smocks. Read more about Bill Haast, the founder of the Miami Serpentarium . I remember reading Bill Haast book Cobras in My Garden, one of the most interesting books I have ever read. ", By his 95th birthday, he was a bit of a recluse. Nice to see the photos again. 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. Marker is located in the Pinecrest Town Center parking lot along US 1. 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.. bill was to capture this cobra and milk it for the crowd. 1, my mother carrying a large snake onboard an airplane, and no. haasti is different from the parent species only by virtue of an unusual configuration of white coloration on the head and chin. 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. Venom would then drain into test tubes fastened to the plastic. I was devastated, devastated like any other parent. Apparently the damaged tail had to be amputated afterwards. 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. According to Wikipedia, Haast first developed an interest in snakes as an 11-year- old Boy Scout while at a Boy Scout summer camp. Before this, the crocodile had lived for 20 years in the pit without incident. For more information, call (407) 892-6905 or visit www . 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. They all screamed, then everyone had a good laughed together! Nonetheless, the boy, who was battered and submerged, was killed. His cane was an exotic mixture of ebony and ivory. I. Woww! He was bitten for the first time at summer camp a year later, when he tried to capture a small timber rattlesnake. [9] In an August 2008 Florida Trend interview, he stated, "Aging is hard. 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. The attraction had a gift shop, 400-pound turtles and a 20-foot python. My mother took my brother and I to the serpentarium in 1977. 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 gathered 400 cobras and took his findings to a University of Miami researcher. And now, 66 years later, it can be said unequivocally that Bill . Bill Haast's daughter was in my 4th grade class and we went to the Serpentarium for a field trip. "He's like an icon to people that know him," Cruz said. Green mambas. BOY KILLED The attraction prospered until a tragedy in 1977. 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! In the first chapter a bunch of young boys are headed to a swimming hole; one boy races ahead and dives in. 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. I am wondering if that was the same pit the young boy had fallen into. THRIVING BUSINESS Despite the medical debacles, the Serpentarium continued to flourish. 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. 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. Does anybody on this herpetology board know either the author or title of a novel, published roughly 20 years ago. While the rest of the crew was out having fun in the exotic locales, he bought exotic snakes. No. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue pronounced him dead at the scene. "[7], Haast turned 100 in December 2010[10] and died on June 15, 2011.[1]. Admission is $8.75 for adults, $6.75 for students and $5.75 for children ages 3-5. While the legendary name of W.E. [3] Haast extracted venom from venomous snakes from the time he was a boy. For Haast, the weekly shots paid off, helping him to survive 172 venomous snake bites. I would see him periodically. You could have a snake for 30 years and the second you leave his cage door cracked, hes gone, he told Outside magazine in 1997. My granddaddy was Robert Kundtz, horticulurist. The findings were very encouraging, Haast said. I came upon a reference to a varieth of the black racer that bears the name Coluber constrictor haasti. I also remember Mrs. Haast coming to the schools, all the way into my sophomore year at Gables High, to talk about their work - and the high point of her talks was when she would take an indigo snake out of her purse and invite everyone to feel it. In fact, his poison-proof plasma saved over 21 people. The giant concrete-and-stucco cobra was donated to South Miami Senior High but fell apart during its move to the school. It has also shown promise as a medicinal ingredient. The Reptile Centre in Northampton, England, declared him "an inspirational man within the world of reptiles." We donated it to the serpentarium. Haast was also bitten by a green mamba. After the CBS News program 60 Minutes did a report on the subject in December 1979, interest in the serum surged. 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! It's a shame that everything is gone now. 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. These flights took him to South America, Africa and India, where he bought snakes to bring back to America, including his first cobra. And theyll never come to you unless youre holding a mouse in your teeth., Bill Haast, a Man Charmed by Snakes, Dies at 100, https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/18/us/18haast.html. However, the venom eventually did affect him, and he was taken to a hospital where it took him several days to recover. I told my mother how I'd really like to get an Indigo and she kind of shrugged it off. Lots of people like me. When I was in high school I worked at the Serpentarium and even helped out with the King Cobra Shows on the weekend. It is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays, closed on Mondays. An eastern diamondback rattlesnake left one hand looking like a claw. Shame on Hass and the parents this poor animal was slaughtered. In 1990 he moved to Punta Gorda, Florida, with his snakes, where he established the Miami Serpentarium Laboratories. 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. If you need help with the Public File, call (954) 364-2526. However, we kept them because they made good pets. In his trademark white lab coat, he would approach a venomous reptile, lure it with one hand and grab its head with the other. The mouse would die. Thank you for reminding me about this incredible man. Bowker had hooked. How did he get them through Customs? As a joke on him, a staff member placed a rubber snake into one of the boxes that normally held a venomous snake for the show. I grew up living close to the Haast's in the 60's. When I was a child in the 1950's, Mama made us stay in the house. "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. A cottonmouth bit a finger, which instantly turned black, prompting his wife to snip off the fingertip with garden clippers. 1. canticle of zechariah explained. 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. 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. A secret of his success was the immunity he had built up by injecting himself every day for more than 60 years with a mix of venoms from 32 snake species. After closing up shop, Haast spent a few years in Utah before moving back to Punta Gorda and reopening his snake farm sans the showmanship. As the snakes slithered and slide across the table he was working on the crowd jumped back gasping except me I think I eased even closer. The boy's family never sued, accepting only the maximum insurance payment, Haast said. William "Bill" Haast, director of the Miami Serpentarium Laboratories (which he operated from 1947 to 1984) died June 15 at the age of 100. . Is bitten by dozens of water moccasins and dies. / CBS Miami. We finally found them on the bottom of my feet. I will ask him to sign a copy and send it to you and your brother." I wish I could have taken my girls there! He was a local celebrity known for something really worthwhile (unlike so many celebrities nowadays). I was the only customer there that early. We looked out and could see both Bill and Nancy peeking out from their office with a big grin! Bill Jr. eventually left, having lost interest in snakes, but not before he had been bitten four times by venomous snakes. His concept of establishing a unique, scientifically based production facility where systems and methods to house, feed, and collect venoms were created . He suddenly dropped his hook and reached in with his hand, and grabbed it then swung it over the heads of the audience. I remember Cookie on the lawn, too! Furthermore, you shouldn't speak about how a parent should have kept a better eye on their dead son. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report), First published on June 18, 2011 / 3:12 PM. A rare survivor, he declared himself doing "very well, anxious to get back to work.". Curabitur venenatis, nisl in bib endum commodo, sapien justo cursus urna. I remember those two huge crocs, one Nile and one American. 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. 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. flashbackmiami.com/2013/11/26/serpentarium-2/, Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 15_4_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/605.1.15 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/15.4 Mobile/15E148 Safari/604.1. He was a great neighborhhod Dad, and I will always remember the fun we had with he, his wife and his children. When young Bill brought his first poisonous snake home to the family apartment, his mother left home for three days, he said. Drivers passing the former site of the Miami Serpentarium on South Dixie Highway. The incident did not end Haast's interest in venom research. His contribution to antivenin science is unparalleled and earned him recognition throughout his life. His dream of creating a snake sanctuary grew nearer. Legend has it that the Timacuan indians who lived there before the European settlers arrived, revered these snakes as Gods. The bootlegger was arrested, and Mr. Haast found his way to an airline mechanics school. June 18, 2011 Bill Haast, who turned his childhood fascination with snakes into an exceptionally long career as a roadside showman, a supplier of venom and a man seemingly immune to the bites of. [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. The year was 1977 when a young boy tumbled into an enclosure at the Miami. Living In Ms. we had plenty of cotton mouths copperheads and assorted others. The following year, he was bitten by a Timber Rattlesnake, and was said . Set in the American South in the 20th century. MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. A 17-year-old boy has been arrested following the fatal shooting of another teenager at an apartment complex in northwest Miami-Dade, authorities confirmed Tuesday. I found it intriguing.. She was quite a Mom. BILL TOLD THE CROWD NOT TO WORRY, "IT'S ONLY CALCIUM". 555 waverly avenue, brooklyn. Updated: May 1, 2023 / 08:00 AM CDT.
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