I think that this Dr., was loved by thousands of Miamians, because of him lives are save. A 6-year-old boy fell into a crocodile pit and was killed. He applied the standard snake-bite treatment of the time (making crossed cuts over the fang marks and applying potassium permanganate) and then walked four miles to the camp's first aid tent, by which time his arm was swollen. ''I could become a poster boy for the benefits of venom,'' Haast jokes. For almost four decades, Haast charmed curious tourists who flocked to his South Dixie Highway attraction, the Miami Serpentarium, to watch his snake show. Suddenly, he heard screaming and ran toward the commotion. I would take the rattlesnake skins and rub salt into them to try to preserve them. As a girl in the early 60's, I lived down the block from Dr Haast and his family. 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. 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. Sheppard gave injections to patients with MS. His clinic became famous and was featured on CBS's 60 Minutes. Crocodile That Killed Boy Is Shot to Death, https://www.nytimes.com/1977/09/05/archives/crocodile-that-killed-boy-is-shot-to-death.html. The boy and another friend decided to go . BILL TOLD THE CROWD NOT TO WORRY, "IT'S ONLY CALCIUM". Thanks for putting it up! Born William E. Haast on Dec. 30, 1910 in Paterson, N.J., he was a South Florida celebrity for surviving successive venomous snakebites. They considered him a glorified snake-handler, a showman, a medicine man. Needless to say I was quite nervous also, thinking of what might happen if that snake went through the crowd. The crane lifted the 35-foot stucco cobra Saturday. 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. He was a great neighborhhod Dad, and I will always remember the fun we had with he, his wife and his children. He gathered 400 cobras and took his findings to a University of Miami researcher. Bowker, of New York, pleaded guilty for his role in arranging for 22 snakes to be delivered to the Serpentarium in an apparent swap for the same number of American alligators. Thank you, Dr. Haast, for all your good works and trailblazing in this still to be fully recognized work.and for the fascinating memories. flashbackmiami.com/2013/11/26/serpentarium-2/, Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; CPU OS 15_5 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/605.1.15 (KHTML, like Gecko) GSA/219.0.457350353 Mobile/15E148 Safari/604.1. The concrete & stucco cobra was the second icon of the Serpentarium. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. When I was a child in the 1950's, Mama made us stay in the house. THE body of the two-year-old boy, Lane Graves, snatched by an alligator at a Disney resort has now been recovered. 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. They gave me nightmares. I was the only customer there that early. Bill and Nanvy were the guest attraction and Bill has with them a 12' hamadrayad, (King Cobra) which was un a 4x4x8 gkass fronted cage identical to that in which the sidewinders were displayed. In August 2020, the remains of a 14-year-old boy were cut from a crocodile's stomach after the reptile ate him alive. [9] In an August 2008 Florida Trend interview, he stated, "Aging is hard. [4] As of 2008 he continued to have his wife inject him with small amounts of snake venom. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. "Since we don't know which cave it is, or which crocodile because there are several, it's very difficult to focus on a single point. By 1984, interest in such roadside attractions like the Serpentarium had waned. And we often talked of many things when she came in to South Dixie Amoco to have the well-maintained car serviced. i would love to read a biography on bill haast or should we say DR.HAAST? Zoo director Thane Maynard said the zoos dangerous animal response team decided the boy was in a life-threatening situation and they needed to put down the 200kg male gorilla. 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 . boy killed by crocodile at miami serpentarium I remember in 3rd grade, back in 1960, one of my classmates dropped her purse into the crocodile pit. Today, Van Horn owns Reptile World Serpentarium near St. Did you know that Charlie Baxter aka MT GRAVES IS STILL ALIVE & is one hell of a nice guy. It is unknown whether the signs mentioned anything about alligators crawling in the waters. The seller's address: Eureka, Fla. Haast knew he had to head south, to a warmer climate favored by snakes. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Access from your Country was disabled by the administrator. I was a child in Florida in the 60's and I saw many, many of Dr. Hasst's shows and remember being concerned the snakes might get away and come towards me of course they never did.. "I just have a curious nature," he said. We lived in Southern California. I'm 5'2 from s city in north Jersey myself, and the snake was about my size! For inspiration and advice, he leaned on Haast. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. 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. I remember reading Bill Haast book Cobras in My Garden, one of the most interesting books I have ever read. it stirred interest faster than the key lime pie and local jelly signs. Bill is a true forward thinker and an inspiration to all herpetologists. He was able to identify the type of snake that bit me by the bite marks. His powerful blood also rescued 21 snake-bite victims. 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? Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. C.C. 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. One of the girls fainted right in my dad's arms! 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. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. That was South Dade, Florida, relatively free of the most venomous snakes because Bill Hass and the Serpentarium. When he was 19 he joined a man who had a roadside snake exhibit, and went with him to Florida. I remember him extracting cobra venom too as that was part of a demonstration. I've tried to keep up with him from time to time. It was in 1960, I was in my junior year at San fernando Valley State college at Northridge ,California. [3] Haast extracted venom from venomous snakes from the time he was a boy. When our son was very small, he was afraid of snakes. As time went on, I read about Bill now and then, such as when he was bitten by the Gaboon viper in the 1970s, and a few other dangerous ones. ''I would hide them in my tool box,'' he said. on. 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. ''I know a lot of people in Miami still remember the Serpentarium and wonder what became of me, that's why I'm talking to you,'' said Haast, who would only be interviewed by telephone. Thanks Bill for the show and GOD bless. As people gathered close Bill unlatched the door on the end of the cage. I well remember Bill Haast and his snake "milking" shows. At the same time his work saved dozens of lives. [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 was born in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1910. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, population growth and increasing participation in water-related activities are resulting in more frequent alligator-human interactions. 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. Funny thing is, he had different ideas about that. It also had a pit with a 12-foot-long crocodile called "Cookie" that weighed, literally, a ton. Now the spotlight is on three other deaths that are linked to the case. Using nothing but a thin hooked metal rod. My dad and I still talk about this over 40 years later! THE body of the two-year-old boy, Lane Graves, snatched by an alligator at a Disney resort has . That might have occurred, since some recent field guides I have examined do not include haasti. I grew up in Miami and loved the Serpentarium. I was 11 in 1972 when my folks agreed to stop at the Serpentarium when our family of seven drove down from Massachusetts to Key West for February school vacation. [8], Haast closed the Serpentarium in 1984, and moved to Utah for a few years. Does anybody on this herpetology board know either the author or title of a novel, published roughly 20 years ago. The couple moved back to New Jersey, where Haast studied aviation mechanics, and was certified after four years. Dr. Haast met my pediatrician at Baptist Hospital in Miami. Worst time of my life!!! I still miss the animals. Newsweek has contacted crocodile experts for comment. Knowing me from my letters, he seemed genuinely interested in the details I told him about my own small collection. What a rush. The cobra that Elliot Arkin made was the one inside the building across from the office. 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. . There he met and eloped with his first wife, Ann. All times AEDT (GMT +11). His dream of creating a snake sanctuary grew nearer. He placed a live, non-venomous snake into one of the supposedly empty boxes to be cleaned. He had done research for a polio vaccine, sought a cure for multiple sclerosis. Authorities estimate there are between 1.3 million and 2 million alligators across the state. The incident comes after a four-year-old boy fell into the gorilla enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo last month. The attack happened on Friday, Dec. 11 during the afternoon in Borneo, Malaysia. They moved to Florida so that Haast could pursue his dream of opening a "snake farm". The victim, identified as Stambuli Bamusi, along with his friends, had gone . Dogs, birds, skunks (if I remember correctly) and of course reptiles. ``If I live to be 100 I'll really make the point.'' I will enjoy looking over this site over time. But Jonas Salk produced a polio vaccine in April 1955, ending Haast's first effort to turn venom into a miracle drug. It took the 1,800pound reptile an hour to die. Sometimes, you feel useless. 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. 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. Tonight at Walt Disney's Grand Floridian Hotel crews search Seven Seas Lagoon for possible alligator attack victim pic.twitter.com/lVSOxivh05. FOR THE MIAMI HERALD King cobras. I read the part of this article where Mr. Haas had to shoot an allegator because a boy fell into the pit and the alligator ate him (is'nt that what allegators do eat anything including yu?) That was in 1971 and I kept that car until 3 years ago when I sold it for 35000.00 in pieces. NEW Police have found evidence a 12-year-old was killed in a crocodile attack in northern Australia. Source = Youtube. I sure do remember Mr. Haast as I bought the 1969 GT500 Shelby that he once owned. Mr Graves desperately tried to rescue his son but was unsuccessful. She would take some of her snakes to Bill Haast. Not to mention, people do not operate properly during tragic events. Haast's mental trauma over the boy's death eventually led to the closure of the Serpentarium on South Dixie Highway. It's a shame good things must always come to an end, isn't it? Every so often the evening news would announce "Bill Haast had been bitten by a poisonous snake AGAIN." 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. #BreakingNews #Orlando pic.twitter.com/8AUeiXdmBk, Search crews at Grand Floridian Beach pic.twitter.com/wTCsxsJwNO, Search party is growing pic.twitter.com/AwpHtHwgXy. I was Bill's neighbor on the Serpentariums north side from about 1970 until the Village of Pinecrest purchased my land & building in 2000 ( The Carpet Mart ). I recall going with my brother to the airport to pick her up upon her arrival. When he had enough, he opened the Serpentarium in Miami in 1946. He said at that time if he lived to be 100 it would possibly prove that snake venom is anti aging. The cheerleaders and marching band of South Miami High, home of the Cobras, screamed and pounded their feet. 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. Now close to 60, a S. Floridian I can still remember driving by that concrete cobra many times. Great memories. My oldest brother had met a girl who, I believe, had worked at the Miami Serpentarium. 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. But he felt he couldn't continue to feed the crocodile and display him under these conditions.. "Bill Haast, a Man Charmed by Snakes, Dies at 100", "Owner destroys crocodile that killed boy, may close serpentarium", "Icon: Bill Haast Snake handler, venom researcher, age 97", "100 years and kicking: Happy Birthday, Bill Haast", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_Haast&oldid=1079333500, This page was last edited on 26 March 2022, at 06:33. I . In my Junior high days, I was a snake enthusiast. But he still wakes up each morning to turn snake venom from across the globe into freeze-dried powder for medical laboratories. Photo: Orange County Sheriff's Office. Alligator seen dragging child into the water. ", Twitter accolades came in from across the globe. She took over, and the show went on without a hitch. When he reached in to get it with his hook, he realized he had been had, then chose to play along and scare the audience who had already watched him take out a few deadly snakes from other boxes. 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. They all screamed, then everyone had a good laughed together! I'd fainted at the realization of a whole baby pig inside that snake! A woman who admitted having sex with a 13-year-old boy and becoming pregnant with his baby has avoided jail time. An estimated 1,000 people every year are killed in crocodile attacks, many more than by sharks. 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 .