not on the animals, or even the people walking around. 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. 25 39.145 N, 80 19.797 W. Marker is in Pinecrest, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. May he live far past the hundreds. On the 2nd trip, an entire day was planned for me there. We donated it to the serpentarium. Thinking back, that have been Cookie. 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 saw so many people face their phobias of snakes and actually touch one for the first time. He suffered 17 bites that nearly killed him, one put him in an iron lung for three days, his system paralyzed. Sadly, Haast shut down his Miami Serpentarium after a young guest was killed by one of his crocodiles. I grew up living close to the Haast's in the 60's. She was quite a Mom. He shot the 1800-pound crocodile nine times with a Luger pistol, yet it was still an hour before it died. When I was young I was always interested in snakes. I think its horrible that he killed that animal. 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. One day, a six-year-old boy fell into the crocodile pit at Miami Serpentarium and was killed by "Cookie", a 12-ft-long crocodile that had been living in the pit for 20 years without incident. Haast saw that a boy had fallen into the crocodile pit. Every so often the evening news would announce "Bill Haast had been bitten by a poisonous snake AGAIN." The incident did not end Haast's interest in venom research. "And in the end the research could take care of itself.". Even though the Serpentarium was there, some people still got bitten, and died from the poisonous snakes. He flew around the world to donate his antibody-rich blood to 21 different snakebite victims. These flights took him to South America, Africa and India, where he bought snakes to bring back to America, including his first cobra. I well remember Bill Haast and his snake "milking" shows. Bill Haast's daughter was in my 4th grade class and we went to the Serpentarium for a field trip. Consequently, the snakes grew to tremendous lengths, by not being hunted by the indians, and were probably fed leftover game to achieve the fantastic length. I told my mother how I'd really like to get an Indigo and she kind of shrugged it off. Eventually, his collection became one of the most diverse venomous snakes on the planet. I remember reading Bill Haast book Cobras in My Garden, one of the most interesting books I have ever read. Looking back I'm glad it was in the dark because I never saw the snake Approximately an hour later my foot started aching and my parents looked all over my legs and feet for a bite mark. How did he get them through Customs? "He was into it for the science on how snake venom affected the body," said his grandniece, who worked at The Serpentarium as a teen in the 1980s. Haast. Horses had developed resistance to the poisons through the same process, and the blood of those horses was used to create life-saving antivenin. 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. 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. But I always felt I would live this long. His next bite, later the same year, came from a four-foot copperhead. I graduated from there in 1979. Haast went to the pit with a pistol the very next day and shot the croc. 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. Finding a job as a flight engineer with Pan American World Airways, he began traveling around the world. Nya used to take us after hours to the Serpentariumm to watch her Dad and his workers feed the animals. I'm glad I got to experience that part of S. Florida/s history, visiting The Serpentarium, now part of mine. The victims mother identified him as Barry Ellis, an eighth-grade student at Horace Mann Middle School. Haast caught his first snake at 7; his first serious bite was at 12. 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. Now if I can find out more about The Colonel? He was able to identify the type of snake that bit me by the bite marks. 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. Haast started collecting snakes and, after initial opposition from his mother, was allowed to keep them at home. I was a nurse in the ICU at Variety Children's Hospital on at least three of Haast's admissions after snake bites. We had an African Ball Python that had stopped eating, and I remember bringing it with my father to have it fed. 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!" I visited many times in the 60's - 70's. Small world. As a result of the damage, Haast gave up handling venomous snakes, and no longer kept any at his facility. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. The snake had disappeared, but I estimate that the snake, which had at least a one foot girth, was 14 feet or more. In his heyday, he was flown around the world to hospitals where people bitten by rare snakes would have died without his blood. I saw the "catch and milk" demos and was fascinated. We considered him the Patron Saint of Junkies in those days. 555 waverly avenue, brooklyn. In 1965, Cobras in his Garden, a book about Haast's exploits, was published. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. - The person who shot and killed a 15-year-old boy is on the run. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. I don't remember which one was the infamous "Cookie". I hope you live to 100 to prove snake venon is an anti aging wonder. In 1982 when I was twelve I moved from England to Hollywood, Fl with my family. 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. I was the only customer there that early. 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. He had so much venom in him that we were told even a bee sting could kill him. I rememer Bill Jr. when we rode motorcycles in scramble races out in North Dade. The snake would bite the mouse, he said in an interview with The Miami Herald in 1984. 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. Look at how big the transplanted Pythons get and that they thrive and fight the alligators in the Everglades. If you wish to purchase venoms, we invite you to telephone (800) 248-5050 or e-mail nancy@miamiserpentarium.com and we will be happy to be of service. Apparently the damaged tail had to be amputated afterwards. I took care of Clarita Haast's original Continental Mark. Mr. Haast closed the serpentarium in 1984 after a 6-year-old boy fell into his crocodile pit and was fatally mauled. When she got in the car she said she had a suprise for me. Furthermore, you shouldn't speak about how a parent should have kept a better eye on their dead son. Glad to see many others share great memories of the Serpentarium. When he was 19 he joined a man who had a roadside snake exhibit, and went with him to Florida. Bill was an outstanding dedicated man. Nice to see the photos again. BOY KILLED The attraction prospered until a tragedy in 1977. We ran it over, and with a little coaxing, I convinced the driver to return. Haast physically extracted venom from venomous snakes by holding them by the head and forcing them to bite a rubber membrane covering a vial. It was an experiment, but having received his first venomous snake bite as a teenager, Haast was used to risks. Join the New Times community and help support He inspired a life long love of reptiles for me and now my two children.. More than twenty of those individuals recovered.[7]. By - March 1, 2021. We had a large clump of banana trees in our back yard, & she had called Mr. Haast to tell him that there was a coral snake down in the undergrowth of it, & could he please come & remove it? Haast retained custody of their son, Bill Jr. and continued to work as a mechanic for Pan Am while he built the Serpentarium. Addressed to Guest: How dare you ever get on a site, and reproach a man for his dispair over the loss of an innocent 6 year old boy. I remember it sliding around my leg and shaking my leg till it feel off. 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. 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 finally found them on the bottom of my feet. The night of the accident, he took his Luger, walked out to the pit and shot Cookie in the head. Soon, his quest for exotic snakes stretched around the world. Across the street, a Haast lived in a nice house. Thank you, Dr. Haast, for all your good works and trailblazing in this still to be fully recognized work.and for the fascinating memories. I remember visiting the Serpentarium on a school field trip when I was in kindergarten, in 1971. I read here about the boy who was killed after falling into the crocidile pit. Hearing Bill got bit again, was not uncommon local news.The community always hoping on Bills incredible resilience to even the deadliest of snake bites. Inside the bag was a cardboard box with holes in it. The Miami Serpentarium, an early Florida roadside tourist attraction, was once located on this site. 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. Operating from 1946 to 1984, the Serpentarium drew as many as 50,000 annual visitors. 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. She had given me some information on the Serpentarium and I got interested in Indigo Snakes. Is bitten by dozens of water moccasins and dies. On the way from the Fontainebleau Hotel we heard that President Kennedy had been shot. I wish you could have seen that crowd move as that snake reared itself and advanced toward Bill as it poured itself onto the concrete floor. the coolest thing i remember is the sighn bill had on the stage while he was milking his terrorfying snakes "there is nothing more exciting then watching danger from a safe distance". boy killed by crocodile at miami serpentarium. Haast's death-defying act didn't disappoint. After Bill sold the Serpentarium, our 12,000 sq.ft. When the show headed to Florida, Haast convinced his parents to let him go. In his trademark white lab coat, he would approach a venomous reptile, lure it with one hand and grab its head with the other. I remember Cookie on the lawn, too! THE BAND FROM SOUTH MIAMI HIGH RODE WITH THE COBRA TO THE SCHOOL ON A FLAT BED TRUCK WITH THE BAND HAPPILY PLAYING AND BEATING THEIR DRUMS--SUDDENLY--SEVERAL CARS AHEAD OF ME THE SNAKE --WHICH WAS PLANTED STRAIGHT UP--SUDDENLY FELL APART ON THE TRUCK --JUST SORT OF DISENTAGRATED --AND THE BOTTOM WAS RUINED--BUT A SMALL PART INCLUDING THE HEAD REMAINED-AND APPEARED UNDAMAGED---AND I PRESUME--MADE IT SAFELY TO THE SCHOOL--J. MUDD. At the time of the TV airing Mr. Haast was 87 years old and quite handsome he looked no older that early 50s. 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. 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 don't remember how long he was but I DO remember how strong he was. In the first chapter a bunch of young boys are headed to a swimming hole; one boy races ahead and dives in. 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. Cloud. Others joined Haast. In 1990 he moved to Punta Gorda, Florida, with his snakes, where he established the Miami Serpentarium Laboratories. 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. * 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. A significant historical year for this entry is 1946. Linkedin. 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. He started extracting venom from his snakes when he was 15 years old, and dropped out of school when he was 16 years old. So long Mr. Haast, you were a great man. 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. I believe he gave them some of his blood with the anti-bodies and that saved their lives. Inside, the snake shows were pure drama with no frills, no fanfare, no drum roll, no silence please, no ladies and gentleman. His first wife, Ann, divorced him over his snake obsession. Access from your Country was disabled by the administrator. 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.