Crowds cheered as he collected venom from the snakes in dramatic displays. 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. America is still arguing today about whether the Cincinnati Zoo should have shot and killed Harambe, a 17-year-old male, Become a member to support the independent voice of South Florida Its been one tough week in Orlando.. God bless Mr. Haas, and all the good he has done, on top of the lives he has saved through his bravery and research. Haast saw that a boy had fallen into the crocodile pit. The emergency services unit celebrated its 10th year recently at the Metro Zoo in Miami. I took care of Clarita Haast's original Continental Mark. Sheriff Demings said police had not received any recent reports or complaints about nuisance alligators but authorities will conduct further investigations. I also supplied 40 desert sidewinder rattlesnakes for Jim to exhibit in a large glass fronted cage filled with sea sand. "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.". Bill is a true forward thinker and an inspiration to all herpetologists. Mr. Haast fished it out with a long pole after the big croc took a bite of it. 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. I have Ophidiophobia (not herpetophobia the fear of reptiles) a true fear of snakes. Five alligators have already been caught in the lagoon and euthanised for analysis. "I am not going to stay here, because just as they protect those animals, they are capable of leaving the river to attack more people and the truth is that it is scary that something like this will happen again. Many times Haast donated his blood to be used in treating snake-bite victims when a suitable anti-venom was not available. 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. I remember reading Bill Haast book Cobras in My Garden, one of the most interesting books I have ever read. That might have occurred, since some recent field guides I have examined do not include haasti. 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. As a kid, it was a thrill to see the man himself up close. 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. Knowing me from my letters, he seemed genuinely interested in the details I told him about my own small collection. I've outlived all my friends down there.'' Inside the bag was a cardboard box with holes in it. I was a good friend with Bill Haast's grandson Willie, He and I would catch snakes and bring them to the Surpentarium, I also would go camping in the everglades with Willie and his sister pinkie and their mom and dad, we would swim in the water around gaters and catch snakes. A crocodile takes rest by the water at the Yala National Park in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on August 21, 2022. Crocodile Kills 11-Year-Old Boy Swimming In River, Reptile Killed "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. EARLY START The story of how Haast made his way to Florida has a certain Huck Finn appeal. My mother was deathly afraid of snakes but she was a real trooper driving us to Dr. Haas, all the while saying, you better not let that snake go in this car! Shaman Killed by Crocodile Horror Stories 812K subscribers Subscribe 27K Save 741K views 3 years ago Notice Age-restricted video (based on Community Guidelines) Almost yours: 2 weeks, on us. Just heard the mother grieving her baby. I remember a Coral snake bit and killed a man digging in his yard in Whispering Pines in 1965. Authorities said the boy, who fell about three metres, was expected to recover after being picked up and dragged by Harambe for about 10 minutes. We considered him the Patron Saint of Junkies in those days. THRIVING BUSINESS Despite the medical debacles, the Serpentarium continued to flourish. It was in 1960, I was in my junior year at San fernando Valley State college at Northridge ,California. Opening day was Jan. 1, 1948. I rememer Bill Jr. when we rode motorcycles in scramble races out in North Dade. Those were great times and i'll never forget them! Born William E. Haast on Dec. 30, 1910 in Paterson, N.J., he was a South Florida celebrity for surviving successive venomous snakebites. He was able to identify the type of snake that bit me by the bite marks. It was'nt the aninmal's fault that boy fell into the pit (the alligator was where he was suppose to be. Look at how big the transplanted Pythons get and that they thrive and fight the alligators in the Everglades. Originally, the shots immunized Haast against snake bites, an occupational hazard. These flights took him to South America, Africa and India, where he bought snakes to bring back to America, including his first cobra. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Boy Dies After Falling Into Crocodile Pit, https://www.nytimes.com/1977/09/04/archives/boy-dies-after-falling-into-crocodile-pit.html. A crocodile attacked and killed an 11-year-old boy in Malawi, a landlocked country in southeastern Africa, on Monday. Thanks for jogging my memory. I told my mother how I'd really like to get an Indigo and she kind of shrugged it off. Zoo Miami's Ron Magill Has Earned His Place in the Spotlight Crocodile attack - Wikipedia PARROT JUNGLE, MONKEY JUNGLE, SEAQUARIUM, ETC. At 19, he got a job with a roadside snake attraction. THE body of a two-year-old boy snatched by an alligator at a Disney resort has now been recovered. That applies to the many other wildlife that existed back then. I lived on Homestead AFB 1960-66 and as a kid visited the Serpentarium many times. Creator Of Miami Serpentarium Dies At 100 - CBS Miami - CBS News ''Failing at this is one of my biggest regrets,'' Haast said. In 1977, a 6-year-old fell into a reptile pit at the Serpentarium and was killed by an 1,800-pound crocodile named Cookie. I was about 9 yrs old, and always remembered the story vividly. People were lining up for a show. One particular snake that I remember from my childhood visits to the Serpentarium was a big, oversized Florida Eastern Diamond Back rattlesnake. Cookie broke free and took the boy underwater. During this time Haast met and married his second wife, Clarita Matthews. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. After Bill sold the Serpentarium, our 12,000 sq.ft. The boy's father and another man, Nicolas Caulineau, jumped into the pit and straddled the crocodile. Haast killed the croc the next day. 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. 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. The event left Haast shaken and the next day, he shot the 1800-pound crocodile nine times. ''I can no longer open my hands wide or make a fist,'' Haast explained. In 1964, a book was written about him. I never forgot Mr. Haast and his snakes, and, to this day, I am not scared of snakes or any other animals. 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. "We know that there are crocodiles and burrows, but we don't have a notion or a pattern to work on.". AJ Jain, a guest at the hotel, told The Orlando Sentinel he and his family were playing at the beach just hours earlier. World's deadliest crocodile attacks with victims torn to pieces My parents stayed at the motel pool, while I was the first one thru the door at the Serpentarium that day. However, we kept them because they made good pets. He loved his animals and was deeply committed to bringing them to the world in an educated, and respectful manner. ''It was the best snake show there ever will be,'' said George Van Horn, a frequent visitor who now runs a similar attraction in Central Florida. Thanks for putting it up! ", Twitter accolades came in from across the globe. Crocodile That Killed Boy Is Shot to Death - The New York Times The whole experience seemed to do the trick, as he never displayed such fear of snakes again after that. I recall going with my brother to the airport to pick her up upon her arrival. I could see their fears fade as they got the nerve to touch a real snake and realize that is wasn't slimy. He was known as the "go-to guy" for snakebites. #BreakingNews #Orlando pic.twitter.com/8AUeiXdmBk, Search crews at Grand Floridian Beach pic.twitter.com/wTCsxsJwNO, Search party is growing pic.twitter.com/AwpHtHwgXy. "It was his adopted city. Serpentarium Owner Dies at 100 - NBC 6 South Florida "And in the end the research could take care of itself.". I couldn't take the anti-venom so Dr. Haast instructed the hospital on how to treat me. Dogs, birds, skunks (if I remember correctly) and of course reptiles. The victim, identified as Stambuli Bamusi, along with his friends, had gone . "I just have a curious nature," he said. He later received commendations from President Gerald Ford and Miami Mayor Stephen Clark. The couple moved back to New Jersey, where Haast studied aviation mechanics, and was certified after four years. Palm vipers. Most of the family agreed it was better than any other stops we made, including the newly opened Disney World. Part scientist, part entertainer, Haast spent his early years in Miami as a mechanic for Pan Am, while he built the snake farm he called The Serpentarium along a portion of U.S. 1 that is today called Pinecrest. My granddaddy was Robert Kundtz, horticulurist. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our, who would go on to become the face of Zoo Miami, Associated Press dispatch quoted a wildlife officer, Haast pumped nine shots from a Luger pistol, finally closing the tourist attraction in 1984. As he announced at the time, Bill killed the croc because he did not want her to become the inevitable freak show instead of a crocodile.Neither revenge nor stress induced fuzzy thinking was involved. I'm glad I got to experience that part of S. Florida/s history, visiting The Serpentarium, now part of mine. I was probably the first Bill Haast copycat and started self-immunizing with various snake venoms over here in London since the age of twenty. Dr. Haast met my pediatrician at Baptist Hospital in Miami. In an enclosure) his parents should have supervised him much better. ''From the first day I walked into the Miami Serpentarium, I knew that was for me,'' he said.