Florida is considered one of the most vulnerable states in America when it comes to rising sea levels, causing the ocean to start seeping into the Everglades swampland, where alligators live. 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. They all screamed, then everyone had a good laughed together! boy killed by crocodile at miami serpentarium. However, the venom eventually did affect him, and he was taken to a hospital where it took him several days to recover. When walking down a hallway, I passed an open door. 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. The man who mesmerized generations of paying customers from 1947 to 1984 by extracting venom at his Miami Serpentarium as a spine-tingling South Florida attraction is dead. I visited the Serpentarium two time back in 1958 and 1967, it was a very interesting place to tour. Every so often the evening news would announce "Bill Haast had been bitten by a poisonous snake AGAIN." Hi, my uncle Ted Kundtz just passed away a few months ago and he told me that he had helped out Mr. Haast when he was younger. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, shoot and kill the 17-year-old gorilla named Harambe, Explosive end to case thats rocked America. It was 1929. He loved his animals and was deeply committed to bringing them to the world in an educated, and respectful manner. Television, a book, big crowds, all helped to build up Haast's image and popularity. I called Haast to see what he could tell me about it. Bowker had hooked. Glad to see many others share great memories of the Serpentarium. Demings said there had been no other recent reports of similar alligator attacks on the lake. "[7], Haast turned 100 in December 2010[10] and died on June 15, 2011.[1]. "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. His cane was an exotic mixture of ebony and ivory. I'm sorry I can never take my grandchildren there. "Well my dear lad, if you should like I will write to my old friend from the war, Bill Hasst. We gave Dr.Haast large Andaconda in 1965". Also wonder if that huge Cobra statue is still on the property..and still scary as hell!!!!!!!!! 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. The boy was dragged into the water by an alligator at 9pm Tuesday, local time, while wading in about a foot of water during a movie night at Disneys Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. 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. I visited many times in the 60's - 70's. When I was in high school I worked at the Serpentarium and even helped out with the King Cobra Shows on the weekend. National television shows hosted by Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas and Johnny Carson invited him or featured him during visits to Miami. Sometimes a snake would upstage Haast, biting him in front of spectators. .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, In those days there were no laws prohibiting it, but the crew members didn't appreciate it.[6]. I still have his autograph and some great snapshots of that meet & greet. Most of the family agreed it was better than any other stops we made, including the newly opened Disney World. . When I opened the box I saw my new pet, a 6 foot beautiful Indigo Snake. great childhood memories spent there with my family , i remember getting goose bumps when we would see the cobra statue. It taught me an important life lessons about fearto just face fears because most of the time our anxiety really isn't worth it. One time, he bought a black snake from Mr. Haast, named it "Rodney" and promptly wrapped it around my neck when my mom wasn't looking. My Parents said we know Mr. Haast would you like to see his snake farm. When our son was very small, he was afraid of snakes. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission executive director Nick Wiley said during a press conference that the incident was extremely rare and that officers were doing everything they could to prevent another attack. AN eight-year-old boy has been mauled to death by a crocodile just metres from his family home in Malaysia. I live in Sarasota now and totally enjoy the water, I think those times are responceable. We had an African Ball Python that had stopped eating, and I remember bringing it with my father to have it fed. ''I know some people have said that about Bill, but he is one of the hardest-working, most diligent, focused individuals you'll ever meet,'' said Van Horn, 62, who worked at the Serpentarium as a young man. Great memories. ``Funny, the very place I wanted to get away from, I now miss. Bill was like a super hero to me as a kid. Using nothing but a thin hooked metal rod. I grew up in Miami and loved the Serpentarium. Nonetheless, the boy, who was battered and submerged, was killed. My "fondest" memory: sitting on the side of the crock pit with my butt hanging over the edge, the wall wasn't but a couple feet tall, right? In October, a man fought a crocodile with a knife while it held his friend's head in its jaws. Sometimes, you feel useless. The resorts beach pool is next to the lake and overlooks the Seven Seas Lagoon. "My So-Called Life", pg. After Bill sold the Serpentarium, our 12,000 sq.ft. Haast and his teenage son, Bill Jr., began constructing snake pits, the beginning of the Serpentarium. So long Mr. Haast, you were a great man. Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his wife and son. And I still do as if it happened yesterday. Needless to say I was quite nervous also, thinking of what might happen if that snake went through the crowd. Today, out of print, it's coveted by collectors and sells on eBay for more than $100, a testament to Haast's popularity. 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. 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. Rescuers were able to recover his body from the water in December 2020, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Of course he would buy the rare Indigo snakes, because they could rear up and spread their neck like a Cobra, but were not poisonous. A 6-year-old boy fell into a crocodile pit and was killed. 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! The year was 1977 when a young boy tumbled into an enclosure at the Miami. "It was his adopted city. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. His unique contribution to medicine earned him widespread recognition. 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 . He was rushed to see a doctor, but quickly recovered without further treatment. 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. I was a nurse in the ICU at Variety Children's Hospital on at least three of Haast's admissions after snake bites. People were always getting bitten, but they are so small that they rarely killed anyone. "One hypothesis is that the animal took the child to the burrow or cave, and there are burrows and caves, but we don't know which one of them it is. My Grandfather was a construction worker and used to drop me off there every day over the summer, and weekends when he would work. He would tell us stories about going to Boy Scout Camp with this extraordinary man, Bill Hasst. It was an experiment, but having received his first venomous snake bite as a teenager, Haast was used to risks. "And in the end the research could take care of itself.". How lucky were we that we had this place? MIAMI, Sept. 4 (UPI)A 12foot African crocodile that killed a 6yearold boy was killed today by the owner of the Miami Serpentarium, who pumped nine shots into it with a Luger pistol. Among them a zoo director from Des Moines, a local construction worker and a Venezuelan father. The giant concrete-and-stucco cobra was donated to South Miami Senior High but fell apart during its move to the school. I still miss the animals. Ms Popp, who is visiting the resort, said the search party was growing by the minute. We lived in Southern California. 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. Palm vipers. That photo is one of my favorite collectables. A Disney spokeswoman did not go into detail about the tragic incident but said the resort was devastated and was helping the family and authorities. "Our unit wouldn't be around if it wasn't for him; he's the inspiration," said Al Cruz, the unit's founder, standing beneath the tall branches of a live oak that Haast had allowed to grow through his screened pool patio. Haast still grows somber when retelling the story: It was a Sunday. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. I visited the Serpentarium in the late 70s on a trip down to Key West. "If I live to be 100, I'll really make the point. The victim, identified as Stambuli Bamusi, along with his friends, had gone . Bill Haast's daughter was in my 4th grade class and we went to the Serpentarium for a field trip. The night of the accident, he took his Luger, walked out to the pit and shot Cookie in the head. AJ Jain, a guest at the hotel, told The Orlando Sentinel he and his family were playing at the beach just hours earlier. Newsweek has contacted crocodile experts for comment. I well remember Bill Haast and his snake "milking" shows. An eight-year-old boy was dragged underwater and mauled to death by a crocodile in front of his horrified parents while paddling in shallow water in a river near his home in Costa Rica. 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 rememer Bill Jr. when we rode motorcycles in scramble races out in North Dade. 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. People were lining up for a show. Furthermore, you shouldn't speak about how a parent should have kept a better eye on their dead son. 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. The honor, bestowed by Miami's mayor, was delivered to Haast at his home east of Punta Gorda by members of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Venom Response Unit. I remember it sliding around my leg and shaking my leg till it feel off. REMAINS of a fourteen-year-old boy have been pulled from inside a crocodile's belly after he was eaten alive. The snake had disappeared, but I estimate that the snake, which had at least a one foot girth, was 14 feet or more. To this day it is one of our most treasured possesions. But I must say he had a good sense of humor too. Their daughters, Nya and Shantee probably do not even remeber me (it was in the early seventies). My first visit to the Serpentarium was in the summer of '56 when I visited family friends who lived on Key Biscayne. Some questions, like the one a decade ago from Cruz, the venom unit founder, mean the difference between life and death. Whenever we remember what happened, it is impossible not to shed tears.". WHEN WE WENT TO THE SERPENTARIUM, WE WERE IN THE CROWD WITH MOSTLY OUT OF TOWNERS. Thank you for reminding me about this incredible man. FOR THE MIAMI HERALD King cobras. He made special trips, bringing back such perilous species as cobras and saw-scaled vipers. "Any time I saw an unusual snake I brought it back," Haast said, sitting on cushioned patio furniture. THE body of the two-year-old boy, Lane Graves, snatched by an alligator at a Disney resort has . He always survived and promoted his anti-snake venom that saved many other lives. I was about 9 yrs old, and always remembered the story vividly. I have watched tv programs about him on Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel. RESEARCH WAS GOAL For Haast, the bites, the snakes and the Serpentarium were only a means to an end. But his wife said that the crocodile, named Cookie, was killed and buried in the same pit where it. ", By his 95th birthday, he was a bit of a recluse. 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. 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. I'd fainted at the realization of a whole baby pig inside that snake! I also supplied 40 desert sidewinder rattlesnakes for Jim to exhibit in a large glass fronted cage filled with sea sand. THE body of the two-year-old boy, Lane Graves, snatched by an alligator at a Disney resort has now been recovered. I then got a "thank you". I would vacation with my parents in Florida in the summer months. 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. I first heard of Bill Haast around 1955, when reading a "man's magazine" (as they were called back then, probably Argosy. I think its horrible that he killed that animal. 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. I remember Cookie on the lawn, too! 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. 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. Tonight at Walt Disney's Grand Floridian Hotel crews search Seven Seas Lagoon for possible alligator attack victim pic.twitter.com/lVSOxivh05. I have such respect for Mr. Haast and for all of his work. I graduated from there in 1979. 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 hit him over the head, trying to get him to let go.'' The boy and another friend decided to go . Don Julio told the Mail Online: "The hardest thing for my wife was seeing the crocodile float with my son's body.". Res ''I would hide them in my tool box,'' he said. My uncle made a point to tell me to look up this site. 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. Luckily though, I see from visiting one of the links that there is an attraction to view snake milking in St. Snake handler, venom researcher. 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. Ricky Ganya was last seen collecting snails on a riverbank in Kuching, Malaysia, The event left Haast shaken and the next day, he shot the 1800-pound crocodile nine times. I am now 42 years with a very youthful appearance and in excellent health! In 2018, Indonesian villagers armed with knives, hammers and clubs slaughtered 292 crocodiles in revenge for the death of a man killed by a crocodile at a breeding farm, Reuters reported. Set in the American South in the 20th century. 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. And a bit crazy. The boy's family never sued, accepting only the maximum insurance payment, Haast said. Sheriff Demings identified the young boy as two-year-old Lane Graves of Nebraska, whose parents are Matt and Melissa Graves. I remember in 3rd grade, back in 1960, one of my classmates dropped her purse into the crocodile pit. Two swimmers taking an early morning dip in a Florida canal have earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first humans in the United States to be bitten by an American crocodile . C.C. He was born in 1910 in Paterson, N.J., to German-American parents -- his father was a mechanic, his mom a housewife. The last time I saw him he told me never to get bit again and offered me a job. Katherine White Popp, whose room is directly outside where the child was taken, said she overheard the mothers screams. [The search] is still very active and [the] chopper keeps circling, he said. 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. 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. It was a very low wall. But the reptile managed to crawl away into a moat in the 50foot square pit, dragging the child with him. 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. Cookie broke free and took the boy underwater. IE 11 is not . At 19, he got a job with a roadside snake attraction. On the 2nd trip, an entire day was planned for me there. Miami's independent source of He received his first cobra bite less than a year after he started his immunization program. 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! Haast routinely injected himself with venom to build up resistance to the ill effects of the inevitable bites. Even though this article is of the Snakeman as we called him I want to comment a special person. 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. MIAMI, Sept. 4 (UPI)A 12foot African crocodile that killed a 6yearold boy was killed today by the owner of the Miami Serpentarium, who pumped nine shots into it with a Luger. "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. Today Dec26, 2008 I am looking at his picture some 45 years later and hooks the same. This subspecies, restricted to the Florida Keys, obviously was named for Bill Haast. 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. Photo: Orange County Sheriff's Office. Early in Haast's career, he slogged the wilds of the Everglades collecting cottonmouths and rattlers. The findings were very encouraging, Haast said. I don't know. Haast finally sold the 5.2-acre lot, now in Pinecrest, for $3.2 million and headed to Utah for more snake research. . Even though the Serpentarium was there, some people still got bitten, and died from the poisonous snakes. Now, he believes, the long-term benefits of the shots have spared him from many of the maladies of old age. Thanks for the update on Bill Haast! Before this, the crocodile had lived for 20 years in the pit without incident. After his wife became pregnant, Haast lost his job when the speakeasy he was working at was raided by IRS agents.