miami serpentarium boy killed miami serpentarium boy killed

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. Is it the venom? I. Woww! I remember one time that one got the better of him and bit him in the neck. Police are searching for the shooter and the murder weapon used. In North Carolina, a chemist offered this salute: "Resssssssst in Peace Bill Haast.". We lived in Southern California. Quite a memory! I was about 9 yrs old, and always remembered the story vividly. What amemorable time, nobody was dissapointed and we all calmed down and talked quietly afterwaeds. It has also shown promise as a medicinal ingredient. Their daughters, Nya and Shantee probably do not even remeber me (it was in the early seventies). 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. Crowds cheered as he collected venom from the snakes in dramatic displays. When they got there, they learned a boy had been shot and was being driven to a hospital. 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. ''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 believe that it was one of the great thrills of my life. He had a clinic called St. Jude Clinic on SW 8 Street. I wish I could have taken my girls there! I am so glad to have found this site. I visited The Serpentarium in '78. View an extensive list of available venoms , William "Bill" Haast (1910 - 2011) was the Pioneer of Venom Production for Venom Research. Venom would then drain into test tubes fastened to the plastic. On Thursday, members of the rescue unit came to shake Haast's hand. We watched the show (I don't remember if the presenter was Mr. Haast), and afterwards, Scot was encouraged to touch several snakes. We finally found them on the bottom of my feet. Bill was an outstanding dedicated man. But in 1980 the Food and Drug Administration banned the product as useless after saying that numerous deficiencies had been found in Mr. Haasts manufacturing process. People were lining up for a show. Nya used to take us after hours to the Serpentariumm to watch her Dad and his workers feed the animals. I would vacation with my parents in Florida in the summer months. EARLY START The story of how Haast made his way to Florida has a certain Huck Finn appeal. Haast eventually sold his family home to buy the land on South Dixie Highway where the Serpentarium would rise. 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. Cloud, Florida and it just so happens that my dad lives there now. * His concept of establishing a unique, scientifically based production facility where systems and methods to house, feed, and collect venoms were created and originated to produce the absolute highest quality of venom for venom research ever before made available the scientific research community. He was 100. He was known as the "go-to guy" for snakebites. The incident left Bill Haast badly shaken. 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. Needless to say I was quite nervous also, thinking of what might happen if that snake went through the crowd. Thanks for jogging my memory. Nice to see the photos again. David Mark Wasson was apparently sitting on top of the wall around the pit, dangling his feet during an inter mission between shows when he lost his balance, the authorities said. 2, my first Indigo. Those were great times and i'll never forget them! 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. Set in the American South in the 20th century. Linkedin. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. (2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. [9] In an August 2008 Florida Trend interview, he stated, "Aging is hard. But none the less just because Mr. Hass felt bad about what happened he, Haas, shot the alligator for no reason. He would tell us stories about going to Boy Scout Camp with this extraordinary man, Bill Hasst. It was intuitive. Haast eventually returned home, married and enrolled in airplane-mechanic school, but Florida called. 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. Nonetheless, the boy, who was battered and submerged, was killed. A pair of 911 calls brought both Miami police and Miami-Dade police to 8050 NW Miami Ct. around 4:35 p.m. Palm vipers. 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. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. I remember visiting the Serpentarium on a school field trip when I was in kindergarten, in 1971. I was devastated, devastated like any other parent. He introduced himself as Col. Spencer, I introduced myself as "I'm Mark and could my brother Dick come too?" Living In Ms. we had plenty of cotton mouths copperheads and assorted others. (Different venoms require different antidotes.). My brother was always over there buying, trading snakes. My friend Jim Danaaldson who procured and trained animals for the film industry had set up a Reptile Exposition at Devonshire downs and I was an exhibiter . When we said goodby, I knew this was a moment I would remember for the rest of my life. The concrete & stucco cobra was the second icon of the Serpentarium. 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. In 1964, a book was written about him. Inside, Mr. Haast, the self-proclaimed Snakeman, entertained paying customers by using his hands to grab snakes below their heads and force their teeth into soft plastic. Name a deadly snake and Bill Haast has either tamed it or been bitten by it. I will forever carry fond memories of "Doc" and how he turned my life around. It became bigger than I expected,'' he said. I remember him as a very genuine, nice man. ''At 95, he doesn't like to do anything that takes time away from his lab work,'' added his wife. I came upon a reference to a varieth of the black racer that bears the name Coluber constrictor haasti. The serpentarium was more than just another roadside attraction. His unique contribution to medicine earned him widespread recognition. He bought a plot of land facing U.S. 1, south of Miami, then sold his house and started construction on the Serpentarium. 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. Wow the good old days and funny thing is my name is Cookie!!! Very cool regular people with a very irregular life and lifestyle.loved them..they enriched my lifewould love to see how big the oaktree is now that grew up through their pool screen enclosure. RESEARCH WAS GOAL For Haast, the bites, the snakes and the Serpentarium were only a means to an end. Thanks Bill for the show and GOD bless. They gave me nightmares. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. According to Wikipedia, Haast first developed an interest in snakes as an 11-year- old Boy Scout while at a Boy Scout summer camp. His daughter Nya, my sister and I used to play together. Donated several snakes over the years also, mostly coral snakes from Opa Locka area. Mr. Haasts story was good enough in its day to land him in Walter Winchells syndicated column, on The Tonight Show and, hardly surprising, in Ripleys Believe It or Not attractions. Glad to see many others share great memories of the Serpentarium. Inside, the snake shows were pure drama with no frills, no fanfare, no drum roll, no silence please, no ladies and gentleman. 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. Suddenly, he heard screaming and ran toward the commotion. He always survived and promoted his anti-snake venom that saved many other lives. I think that this Dr., was loved by thousands of Miamians, because of him lives are save. Sad to say, a passerby noticed that the snake was poisonous and killed it before we could take it to the Serpentarium to get paid for all our efforts. My parents stayed at the motel pool, while I was the first one thru the door at the Serpentarium that day. Miami-Dade police are investigating after a 16-year-old boy was fatally shot late Tuesday night at an apartment complex. I worked at the Serpentarium for roughly a year, about two years before it closed. By - March 1, 2021. sailing lessons beaufort, nc . I recently saw Mr. Hasst on wild kingdon with Jack Hanna (aired 1997 maybe). While there, a gentleman drove in with a huge python he caught on his property and had in a wire basket. Thanks for the update on Bill Haast! I will ask him to sign a copy and send it to you and your brother." boy killed by crocodile at miami serpentarium. In my Junior high days, I was a snake enthusiast. The Serpentarium was a magical place and Mr. Haast was a very interesting fellow. I saw the "catch and milk" demos and was fascinated. We would eat the snakes, along with all the fish and snapping turtles we could catch from the Lakeland area lakes. His wife Nancy says Haast died Wednesday evening, June 15, 2011. There were others I recall, Monkey Jungle, Parrot Jungle, but none had the that eye catching element of suspense like The Serpentarium. In 1980 we took my late husband who had ALS (Lou Gerhig's Disease) to the Miama Clinic where. The price of a gram of freeze-dried venom from exotic snakes, requiring 100 or more extractions to accumulate, could exceed $5,000. 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. The great legendary Bill Haast, pioneer of venom production for venom research since 1946, was founder and director of the world renowned Miami Serpentarium Laboratories The bootlegger was arrested, and Mr. Haast found his way to an airline mechanics school. Not to mention, people do not operate properly during tragic events. When she reached into the box and found movement inside she shrieked so loudly we could hear her from far across the large garden, and we chuckled "I guess she found it" Someone said. I was the only customer there that early. During the 1950s, he was bitten by cobras about twenty times. It was not that far from us and yet we were not fearful. 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. We had an iguana that was too large to keep. It was July, 1972, and my family was making our first visit to the Serpentarium. The seller's address: Eureka, Fla. Haast knew he had to head south, to a warmer climate favored by snakes. I always had one or more in my bedroom and it drove my mom nuts.. Haast jumped down into the pit. For Haast, the weekly shots paid off, helping him to survive 172 venomous snake bites. How lucky were we that we had this place? It was in 1960, I was in my junior year at San fernando Valley State college at Northridge ,California. 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? local news and culture. He shot the 1800-pound crocodile nine times with a Luger pistol, yet it was still an hour before it died. The wholesale price is currently $2,500 per vial, and patients can require sometimes dozens of bottles to recover. I knocked and went in. It was damaged by a hurricane in 2005 and they just built a new one. And we often talked of many things when she came in to South Dixie Amoco to have the well-maintained car serviced. At the same time his work saved dozens of lives. As a young teenager in the mid 1960's I was very interested in all types of reptiles. A small alligator, maybe 5 foot with tail had gotten loose and was wandering. According to his arrest report, Archie Cox Jr., of Miami, was taken into custody April 3 on a second-degree murder charge. The man then went next door with his . It was buried on the grounds. FOR THE MIAMI HERALD King cobras. That was in 1971 and I kept that car until 3 years ago when I sold it for 35000.00 in pieces. After dropping out of school at 16, he joined a roadside snake show that made its way to Florida in the late 1920s. From 1947 until 1984, he operated the Miami Serpentarium, a tourist attraction south of Miami, Florida, where he extracted venom . Haast finally sold the 5.2-acre lot, now in Pinecrest, for $3.2 million and headed to Utah for more snake research. My granddaddy was Robert Kundtz, horticulurist. 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. His grey pleated linen trowsers were pressed and as spotless as his egyptian cotton White shirt, topped with a most stunning Pith Helment. Miami is a hotbed for venomous snake bites because it is the entry point for almost any exotic snake, whether it is bound for a collector or a zoo in another state. Every week, Haast still injects his arm with a cocktail of venom from five snakes -- cobras, mambas, kraits, cottonmouths and rattlesnakes. A 6-year-old boy fell into a crocodile pit and was killed. In the late 40's and early 50's I lived in Marathon on the Keys. Today, a McDonald's and a shopping center sit where the Serpentarium once thrilled. Good memories of a time long ago. He briefly lived in Utah and returned to Florida to live in Charlotte County 18 years ago. The substance is an essential ingredient in making a serum to treat snakebite victims. He has written a book called 'The World of Snakes. ' Luckily though, I see from visiting one of the links that there is an attraction to view snake milking in St. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Snake man is master of poison and cure Bill Haast, 97, is lauded for pioneering work with snake venom By Kate Spinner Sarasota Herald-Tribune Published: Friday, July 11, 2008 at 4:30 a.m. CHARLOTTE COUNTY - Bill Haast's 97-year-old fingers, withered by scores of snake bites, are too weak to handle cobras and pit vipers anymore. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Miami's independent source of 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. 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. They moved to Florida so that Haast could pursue his dream of opening a "snake farm". And modern medical researchers are proving him right snake venom fractions are becoming recognized as potent medicines. I got my love of snakes (I'm a girl) growing up in Miami going repeatedly to the Serpentarium. At 19, he got a job with a roadside snake attraction. 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. I rememer Bill Jr. when we rode motorcycles in scramble races out in North Dade. I recall the incident where the child died -- it was very tragic and Mr. Haast clearly felt terrible about it. The snake would bite the mouse, he said in an interview with The Miami Herald in 1984. Sadly, Haast shut down his Miami Serpentarium after a young guest was killed by one of his crocodiles. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. William "Bill" Haast, director of the Miami Serpentarium Laboratories (which he operated from 1947 to 1984) died June 15 at the age of 100. . He later received commendations from President Gerald Ford and Miami Mayor Stephen Clark. In his heyday, he was flown around the world to hospitals where people bitten by rare snakes would have died without his blood. And I still do as if it happened yesterday. I stood, many times, on the grass in the little circle just feet from the Cobra at milking time. Using nothing but a thin hooked metal rod. 'There is no reason to visit Miami. ``If I live to be 100 I'll really make the point.'' Bill was like a super hero to me as a kid. By then Cookie, the 12-foot, 2,000-pound crocodile, had the boy in its mouth. But Haast had detractors. During World War II, he was aboard flights that delivered food and medicine to Africa and Asia. Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com. 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. Haast remained director of Miami Serpentarium Laboratories near Punta Gorda until his death. He died within 24 hours from respiration paralysis and a brain hemorrhage. My Dad would take me there often, we lived in South Miami (as I do againlong story). On a September day in 1977, a small boy visiting the Serpentarium fell into one of the reptile pits and was grabbed by a 12-foot African crocodile. Haast and his teenage son, Bill Jr., began constructing snake pits, the beginning of the Serpentarium. National television shows hosted by Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas and Johnny Carson invited him or featured him during visits to Miami. More animals than anyone I ever knew, and of every variety. 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 latest local, regional and national news events of the morning are presented by the Local 10 News Team along with updated sports, weather and traffic. Haast extracted venom 70 to 100 times a day from some 60 species of venomous snakes, usually in front of an audience of paying customers. Reptile World Serpentarium is at 5705 E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy (U.S. 192), St. 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. He was shot in the upper torso, said Miami-Dade police Detective Angel Rodriguez. I've tried to keep up with him from time to time. Now, he believes, the long-term benefits of the shots have spared him from many of the maladies of old age. In the summer of 1972 I was bitten by a pygmy rattle snake in the middle of a subdivision in south Miami. He said his last snakebite, Number 173 suffered in 2003 -- courtesy of a Malaysian pit viper -- was the final blow to his hands, already mangled from years of enduring the nerve- and tissue-destroying poison that snakes spew when biting. He was a local celebrity known for something really worthwhile (unlike so many celebrities nowadays). Florida snake expert Bill Haast has died. This time it came out! 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. [4] As of 2008 he continued to have his wife inject him with small amounts of snake venom. My Parents said we know Mr. Haast would you like to see his snake farm. They paid my mother something like $10 or more for the snake. Haast could not make the ceremony, so part of the ceremony came to him. Well I then came to his web site to find out how old Mr. Haast is today or if he is still alive. Even though this article is of the Snakeman as we called him I want to comment a special person. 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. A krait anti-venom was shipped from India, but when it arrived after a 48-hour flight, he refused to accept it. I then got a "thank you". 1, my mother carrying a large snake onboard an airplane, and no. I lived just across the road from Bill's place in 1959 thru 1961 and went. The incident did not end Haast's interest in venom research. It's a shame good things must always come to an end, isn't it? Finding a job as a flight engineer with Pan American World Airways, he began traveling around the world. Yep, I was a snake kid, read all the books in my library, found "Cobras In His Garden" and was as surprised as my parents when Bill Haast wrote back to me a few times. Children shrieked in horrified glee. Haast has already been etched into history, it has been said upon learning of his passing on June 15, 2011, that "there are some people who should never die.". As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Later that day, boy did he get back at the girl that had done this. 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. During its heyday, it attracted about 50,000 Florida visitors a year. In 1982 when I was twelve I moved from England to Hollywood, Fl with my family. ``I feel like a man in his 60s.'' Before this, the crocodile had lived for 20 years in the pit without incident. Inside the bag was a cardboard box with holes in it. Cruz called Haast after a man was bitten by a Black Mamba, one of the most poisonous snakes of Africa. By 1984, interest in such roadside attractions like the Serpentarium had waned. My dad and I still talk about this over 40 years later! CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report), First published on June 18, 2011 / 3:12 PM. 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. Bill Jr. eventually left, having lost interest in snakes, but not before he had been bitten four times by venomous snakes. What a rush. 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. I'm glad I got to experience that part of S. Florida/s history, visiting The Serpentarium, now part of mine. He respected him very much. He suddenly dropped his hook and reached in with his hand, and grabbed it then swung it over the heads of the audience. Dr. Ben Sheppard mentioned in the article helped me with my drug addiction in 1974. As soon as it was handed back to an embarassed little girl, one of the boys said, "Now you have to look and see if it punched your bus ticket!" A significant historical year for this entry is 1946. Besides his wife, the former Nancy Harrell, he is survived by two daughters, three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. The Roberson Funeral Home of Port Charlotte said Friday that arrangements were incomplete. I still miss the animals. In 1978, one of my first acts as a new husband on my honeymoon was to bring my new bride to the Serp (30 years later and she hasn't forgotten that one) so she could witness what I'd described so many times. I would take the rattlesnake skins and rub salt into them to try to preserve them. He did this 100 or so times a day. We considered him the Patron Saint of Junkies in those days. This official Bill Haast website is being presented in honor of one of the greatest pioneers, visionaries, humanitarians and scientists of all time. It stood almost eye level with Bill and lunged repeatedly as it advanced across the floor toward him. The show was great. 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 2006 and he was still extolling the virtues of venom, saying he injected himself weekly with a cocktail from five snakes cobras, cottonmouths, kraits, mambas and rattlers homeopathy the Food and Drug Administration would never endorse. I don't know. RIP kind soul. Except for the grey hair and receding hairline I would have said 'hasn't changed a bit". not on the animals, or even the people walking around. I lived across South Dixie Highway from the Miami Serpentarium. My hands served me well.'' I will admired and respect this wonderful human being for the rest of my life. He is truely an extraordinary man. Mr. Haast, who was director of the Miami Serpentarium Laboratories, a snake-venom producer near Punta Gorda, Fla., died of natural causes on Wednesday at his home in southwest Florida, his wife, Nancy, said. When we got home, she handed me a small travel bag that she had carried with her on board the airplane. on. I grew up in Miami and loved the Serpentarium. I think its horrible that he killed that animal. I've outlived all my friends down there.' Police are searching for the shooter and the murder weapon used. His powerful blood also rescued 21 snake-bite victims. But Haast no longer can handle the forked-tongued killers that made him famous. I followed his instructions and he was right. [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. Sheppard gave injections to patients with MS. His clinic became famous and was featured on CBS's 60 Minutes. BOY KILLED The attraction prospered until a tragedy in 1977. I lived on Homestead AFB 1960-66 and as a kid visited the Serpentarium many times. Some questions, like the one a decade ago from Cruz, the venom unit founder, mean the difference between life and death. And now, 66 years later, it can be said unequivocally that Bill . He was 100. The same year, a copperheads bite put him in the hospital for a week. Keep it up Mr. Haast. While on my honeymmon in Orlando we rode down to Miami to the Serpentarium and watched Bill milk some snakes. As a young Canadian boy back in the 1960`s. Feature Vignette: Analytics. She had given me some information on the Serpentarium and I got interested in Indigo Snakes. "If I live to be 100, I'll really make the point.''. The giant concrete-and-stucco cobra was donated to South Miami Senior High but fell apart during its move to the school. I remember seeing an alligator gulping down whole chickens and being allowed to handle an Indigo snake after Mr. Haast's presentation. Copyright 2023 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved. I first heard of Bill Haast around 1955, when reading a "man's magazine" (as they were called back then, probably Argosy. 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. Haast's hands suffered venom-caused tissue damage, culminating in the loss of a finger following a bite from a Malayan pit viper in 2003. (and I have literally been attacked by a shark, which resulted in 30 days in the hospital, and losing half a lung) My point? He was carrying a snake-bite kit, and had a friend inject him with antivenom; the bite hospitalized him for a week. Every so often the evening news would announce "Bill Haast had been bitten by a poisonous snake AGAIN." I'm sorry I can never take my grandchildren there.