He was known as the "go-to guy" for snakebites. I am so glad to have found this site. I knocked and went in. Haast finally sold the 5.2-acre lot, now in Pinecrest, for $3.2 million and headed to Utah for more snake research. Friday, his wife, Nancy, put his lifetime tally at 172. As far as I recall, the Cobra on the roof was the one from the Serpentarium. 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. After Bill sold the Serpentarium, our 12,000 sq.ft. Living In Ms. we had plenty of cotton mouths copperheads and assorted others. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [3] Haast extracted venom from venomous snakes from the time he was a boy. My scary moment at the Serpentarium was to see the salt water crock in a deep pit jump up and snap a chicken before it hit the ground! But none the less just because Mr. Hass felt bad about what happened he, Haas, shot the alligator for no reason. 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. However, sometime in my teens I developed a real fear of snakes, somewhat unusual since there were no poisonous varieties in my area. After leaving Miami for the Air Force and then marriage, my bride and I returned to the Central East Coast of Florida to live, and on a trip to the Keys, I just had to take my new bride to show her Bill Haast's work. I grew up living close to the Haast's in the 60's. Bill was like a super hero to me as a kid. When we said goodby, I knew this was a moment I would remember for the rest of my life. Read more about Bill Haast, the founder of the Miami Serpentarium . He's truly an amazing man who has lived a life of exemplary devotion to his work. Opening day was Jan. 1, 1948. i would love to read a biography on bill haast or should we say DR.HAAST? Green mambas. Most of the family agreed it was better than any other stops we made, including the newly opened Disney World. I recently saw Mr. Hasst on wild kingdon with Jack Hanna (aired 1997 maybe). This will be of interest to some out there. Thank you Diana, and all the other folks who have posted, for posting your personal memories of Bill Haast and your insights that the general public would never know about if you hadn't written in. Nonetheless, the boy, who was battered and submerged, was killed. Horses had developed resistance to the poisons through the same process, and the blood of those horses was used to create life-saving antivenin. On Thursday, members of the rescue unit came to shake Haast's hand. local news and culture. She finally agreed to let him keep a snake or two in cages. A Venomous Price to Pay In recent years, snakebite victims have been billed hundreds of thousands of dollars for antivenom. My father grew up and was born in Paterson, as well. Marker is on South Dixie Highway (U.S. 1) 0.1 miles north of Southwest 128th Street, on the right when traveling north. I'll never forget April Fools day there! I don't remember how long he was but I DO remember how strong he was. Most people working in the biological field take some pride in having a species or subspecies named for them, but Haast seemed to have none of that. Two men came to our house, & they had a hook on the end of a pole, & a cloth bag, & they soon had the brightly colored but deadly snake in tow. He suddenly dropped his hook and reached in with his hand, and grabbed it then swung it over the heads of the audience. 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. Others joined Haast. The price of a gram of freeze-dried venom from exotic snakes, requiring 100 or more extractions to accumulate, could exceed $5,000. Bill Haast - Wikipedia Did you know that Charlie Baxter aka MT GRAVES IS STILL ALIVE & is one hell of a nice guy. He could not have been nicer to us and spent some time talking to us. Still remember running a service call on a friday night for a NO COOLto be met by a Llama (male) at the entry gate who put his massive head through my truck window and pinned me against my seat..Nancy told me he liked me but to come back because she was delivering a Llama "cria". It taught me an important life lessons about fearto just face fears because most of the time our anxiety really isn't worth it. 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. His hands are gnarled and deadened, some fingers hang immobile, some look stunted in growth, and a pinky and index finger have been amputated at the knuckle, photographs taken by his wife reveal. His daughter Nya, my sister and I used to play together. When we got home, she handed me a small travel bag that she had carried with her on board the airplane. 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. ''I miss the excitement of the Serpentarium,'' Haast said. I remember a Coral snake bit and killed a man digging in his yard in Whispering Pines in 1965. In North Carolina, a chemist offered this salute: "Resssssssst in Peace Bill Haast.". More animals than anyone I ever knew, and of every variety. "Not to mention pretty damn smart. Boy, 3, dies after being shot inside home in Calumet Heights From 1947 until 1984, he operated the Miami Serpentarium, a tourist attraction south of Miami, Florida, where he extracted venom . I believe that it was one of the great thrills of my life. 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. Donated several snakes over the years also, mostly coral snakes from Opa Locka area. did matthew boynton shoot his wife . Watching Bill milk then tube feed special formula into those angry hooded cobras he'd take out of the boxes is something I will never forget. He made special trips, bringing back such perilous species as cobras and saw-scaled vipers. "My So-Called Life", pg. Police could be seen going through the neighborhood, talking to witnesses and looking for any helpful surveillance video. I grew up near the Serpentarium , and played baseball @ Suniland Park..Many times during games , an iguana that had escaped from the serpentarium , would run across the field..As kids , we too ,sold snakes to the facility , and we managed to see the show several times a yearwe would ride our bikes to Parrot Jungle and the Serpentarium and see all kinds of rare wild animals and snakes , and birds , then fish salt or fresh water within a few miles of homegreat place to grow up in the 60's. on. Nevertheless, researchers have continued to work on drugs made from venom in the hope of using it to treat cancer, Alzheimers and other diseases. A significant historical year for this entry is 1946. 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. 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 then got a "thank you". Great job on the article! It's a shame good things must always come to an end, isn't it? I'd fainted at the realization of a whole baby pig inside that snake! Teen arrested in connection with fatal shooting in northwest Miami-Dade Quite a memory! The crime . I came upon a reference to a varieth of the black racer that bears the name Coluber constrictor haasti. On two trips to Florida in the late 60s, my parents took me to The Serpentarium. We lived in Southern California. His original Miami Serpentarium, south of Miami on South Dixie Highway, attracted 50,000 tourists a year for four decades. 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. He bought a plot of land facing U.S. 1, south of Miami, then sold his house and started construction on the Serpentarium. When walking down a hallway, I passed an open door. Miami Serpentarium Laboratories Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. (Different venoms require different antidotes.). But I always felt I would live this long. Oxford American | Love and Death in the Cape Fear Serpentarium I think that this Dr., was loved by thousands of Miamians, because of him lives are save. My dad and I still talk about this over 40 years later! Miami-Dade Fire Rescue pronounced him dead at the scene. Cloud. A son, William Haast Jr., predeceased him. 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. The Reptile Centre in Northampton, England, declared him "an inspirational man within the world of reptiles." ABOUT 1975 OR SO, I TOOK MY FAMILY ON VACATION TO SEE ALL THE SIGHTS MIAMI HAD TO OFFER INSTEAD OF LEAVING TOWN AS WE ALWAYS DID. 0. Haast.*. I have Ophidiophobia (not herpetophobia the fear of reptiles) a true fear of snakes. I thought that was pretty cool back then, and still do. Everyone sold them to the Serpentarium for $1.25/Ft, good money in those days. BOY KILLED The attraction prospered until a tragedy in 1977. Today, out of print, it's coveted by collectors and sells on eBay for more than $100, a testament to Haast's popularity. A snake trafficker gets a Trump pardon. Here's the only-in-Florida I rememer Bill Jr. when we rode motorcycles in scramble races out in North Dade. Since the county revived the antivenin bank in 1998, it has saved 1,000 snake-bite victims, Seigert said. The same year, a copperheads bite put him in the hospital for a week. He is truely an extraordinary man. 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. Grainy black-and-white television footage from 1962, now part of the Wolfson Archive, shows a fit, toothy 51-year-old Mr. Haast in a hospital recovering from his 79th snake bite his first ever by a King Cobra. According to Wikipedia, Haast first developed an interest in snakes as an 11-year- old Boy Scout while at a Boy Scout summer camp. "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, Pages with login required references or sources, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 26 March 2022, at 06:33. The mouse would die. ''Failing at this is one of my biggest regrets,'' Haast said. Bill Haast died of natural causes Wednesday in Punta Gorda, on Florida's west coast, where he had made his home. If you need help with the Public File, call (954) 364-2526. Funny thing is, he had different ideas about that. How One Man Survived 20 Venomous Snake Bites - Ripley's Believe It or Not! I also supplied 40 desert sidewinder rattlesnakes for Jim to exhibit in a large glass fronted cage filled with sea sand. The crime occurred Wednesday afternoon inside a mobile home park in Miami-Dade Countys West Little River area, just north of Miamis Little River neighborhood. 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. We looked out and could see both Bill and Nancy peeking out from their office with a big grin! Bridgette Matter joined the Local 10 News team as a reporter in July 2021. According to the arrest report, detectives discovered that the victim and suspect had been involved in a verbal dispute that night that resulted in them getting into a physical altercation. I'm sure they still carry around enough guilt, even after all this time, without you adding to it. He landed a job with Miami-based Pan American Airways. ''I could become a poster boy for the benefits of venom,'' Haast jokes. Haast was born in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1910. Set in the American South in the 20th century. In 1964, a book was written about him. Inside the bag was a cardboard box with holes in it. 555 waverly avenue, brooklyn. Thanks again Bill.. 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. Mr. Haast fished it out with a long pole after the big croc took a bite of it. I called Haast to see what he could tell me about it. But the reptile managed to crawl away into a moat in the 50foot square pit, dragging the child with him. His first wife, Ann, divorced him over his snake obsession. I took care of Clarita Haast's original Continental Mark. 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. Updated: May 1, 2023 / 08:00 AM CDT. I was a nurse in the ICU at Variety Children's Hospital on at least three of Haast's admissions after snake bites. Marker is located in the Pinecrest Town Center parking lot along US 1. Bill Haast and the Miami Serpentarium - recent news articles Look at how big the transplanted Pythons get and that they thrive and fight the alligators in the Everglades. Miami Serpentarium Laboratories I read here about the boy who was killed after falling into the crocidile pit. 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. He moved his venom-gathering operation to Utah. He suspected the inoculations might have explained his extraordinarily good health, but he was reluctant to make that claim, he said, until he reached 100. That was South Dade, Florida, relatively free of the most venomous snakes because Bill Hass and the Serpentarium. Police release name of teen killed in NW Dade shooting - CBS Miami Their daughters, Nya and Shantee probably do not even remeber me (it was in the early seventies). Keep it up Mr. Haast. Haast still grows somber when retelling the story: It was a Sunday. Another interesting attraction there were the large Galopagas turtles he had. 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. 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. I still have his autograph and some great snapshots of that meet & greet. 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. 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. ''I would hide them in my tool box,'' he said. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. The boy's family never sued, accepting only the maximum insurance payment, Haast said. But I must say he had a good sense of humor too. Bill Haast Wiki & Bio A 6-year-old boy fell into a crocodile pit and was killed. Jim F. Thank you for bringing back many many wonderful memories. I'd rather go back in the ocean than back to the Serpentarium! I was the only customer there that early. Anyone with information is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. June 18, 2011 / 3:12 PM My uncle introduced me to the Florida Eastern Diamondback that grew up to 6 feet in length. On another visit I was told that the big lump in the python I was looking at was the suckling pig it had swallowed whole and was digesting, I, was surprised to find myself on the ground with ammonia being waved under my nose! A krait anti-venom was shipped from India, but when it arrived after a 48-hour flight, he refused to accept it. So, on a trip to visit my parents in Miami, when Scot was two (1977), we took him to the Miami Serpentarium. I would take the rattlesnake skins and rub salt into them to try to preserve them. Operating from 1946 to 1984, the Serpentarium drew as many as 50,000 annual visitors. Thank you for the bio of this incredible man. I was 16 yrs.old and going outside at night with no shoes on and stepped on the snake in the dark. 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. I was inspired by him because as kids we used to go all through the Evergaldes looking for snakes to catch. I grew up in Miami and loved the Serpentarium. We also used to go to his show at the Serpentarium, and it fascinated my brother. Suddenly, he heard screaming and ran toward the commotion. ''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. Bill is a true forward thinker and an inspiration to all herpetologists. He inspired a life long love of reptiles for me and now my two children.. In the late 40's and early 50's I lived in Marathon on the Keys. Thanks Bill for the show and GOD bless. His contribution to antivenin science is unparalleled and earned him recognition throughout his life. Haast eventually sold his family home to buy the land on South Dixie Highway where the Serpentarium would rise. Copyright 2023 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved. The Man Who Injected Himself With Snake Venom - KnowledgeNuts We gave Dr.Haast large Andaconda in 1965". 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. 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. Man who killed 5 neighbors in Texas 'could be anywhere - Yahoo I visited the Serpentarium in the late 70s on a trip down to Key West. ''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. Apparently the damaged tail had to be amputated afterwards. The animal was of no harm to anyone other than the fool who would allow his self to fall in. While on my honeymmon in Orlando we rode down to Miami to the Serpentarium and watched Bill milk some snakes. He became interested in snakes while at a Boy Scout summer camp when he was 11 years old. When I was young I was always interested in snakes. She was quite a Mom. Thanks for the memories, as Bob Hope would say. MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. The person who shot and killed a 15-year-old boy is on the run. 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]. He had a clinic called St. Jude Clinic on SW 8 Street. A pair of 911 calls brought both Miami police and Miami-Dade police to 8050 NW Miami Ct. around 4:35 p.m. Linkedin. [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. boy killed by crocodile at miami serpentarium Every year we took a field trip there, and every year I looked forward to it. I stood, many times, on the grass in the little circle just feet from the Cobra at milking time. I would vacation with my parents in Florida in the summer months. The attackers included cobras, a krait, green mambas, a pygmy rattlesnake, a European asp and a palm viper. Haast caught his first snake at 7; his first serious bite was at 12. His unique contribution to medicine earned him widespread recognition. I sure do remember Mr. Haast as I bought the 1969 GT500 Shelby that he once owned. STAFF PHOTO / ED PFUELLER Order photo Bill Haast, center, is recognized by members of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Venom Response Unit for his work helping snake-bite victims. After his wife became pregnant, Haast lost his job when the speakeasy he was working at was raided by IRS agents. Like I said, we were always grabbing any snakes we came across, and one day finally got a Moccasin. * 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. My parents stayed at the motel pool, while I was the first one thru the door at the Serpentarium that day. It was an incredible place. He purchased his first exotic snake, a diamondback rattler, from a catalog. "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.''. 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Later that day, boy did he get back at the girl that had done this. After many years of being a Bill Haast fan, I was thrilled to be there. 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.
