I remember reading Bill Haast book Cobras in My Garden, one of the most interesting books I have ever read. Thanks for jogging my memory. Our carpet showroom and warehaouse was open on Monday & Friday nights and some very strange noises were heard at night as you would walk through the warehouse. The parents diligently tried to get the child, Sheriff Demings said. In the first chapter a bunch of young boys are headed to a swimming hole; one boy races ahead and dives in. I can't imagine more suitable place than South Florida for Bill Haas's Serpentarium. We also used to go to his show at the Serpentarium, and it fascinated my brother. An eight-year-old boy was mauled to death by a crocodile just metres from his family home in Malaysia. A second boy, 15, was bitten but escaped. ''I miss the excitement of the Serpentarium,'' Haast said. Inside the bag was a cardboard box with holes in it. 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.. "And in the end the research could take care of itself.". An eight-year-old boy in Costa Rica was brutally dragged underwater and mauled to death by a crocodile in front of his horrified parents. joe pylandgrew up at sunniland park two blocks from the serpentarium.Remember it well..Billy..the grandson ran over my arm in 1962 with his bike..breaking it and I missed the 1st 6 weeks of Khoury League.Remember Haast tamping alsoThis man was incredidle and brave. A witness told a journalist at the Orlando Sentinel they reported a sighting of an alligator to police prior to the attack on the toddler, but Sheriff Demings said he was unaware of the report. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. Boy Dies After Falling Into Crocodile Pit, https://www.nytimes.com/1977/09/04/archives/boy-dies-after-falling-into-crocodile-pit.html. Mr. Hasst brought out a huge 16 foot long King Cobra and kept it controlled on the lawn in front of us. How did he get them through Customs? He's truly an amazing man who has lived a life of exemplary devotion to his work. But his wife said that the crocodile, named Cookie, was killed and buried in the same pit where it. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. We got a motel room across the road from the Serpentarium. other sizes: small original auto previous | next Unless otherwise noted under the right bottom of the photo, all images are copyrighted by Don Boyd comment | share I notified the person at the gate and soon Mr. Haast himself came out, grabbed the gator, and put him back in the pit. Police said witnesses described the alligator as being between 1.2 and 2.1 metres long. I remember a Coral snake bit and killed a man digging in his yard in Whispering Pines in 1965. I recall the incident where the child died -- it was very tragic and Mr. Haast clearly felt terrible about it. It was not that far from us and yet we were not fearful. See, when a poisonous snake bites you, and his fangs (having hypodermic-like hollow holes at their points) inject their venom , they are in fact "digesting" you while you diethe venom is softening up your tissue, destroying it, making you easier to eat, digesthence Mr. Haas' fingers were so deformed? Sincerely, an understanding and appreciative person! By 1984, interest in such roadside attractions like the Serpentarium had waned. I visited the Serpentarium November 22, 1965 while on my Honeymoon with my wife Lynne. A crocodile seized a 5-year-old boy and dragged him into a river in western Mexico as his parents watched, according to authorities who said the child's body was found Thursday. The last time I saw him he told me never to get bit again and offered me a job. Then years later I lived in Punta Gorda on Washington Loop, when Bill Haast moved there. #BreakingNews #Orlando pic.twitter.com/8AUeiXdmBk, Search crews at Grand Floridian Beach pic.twitter.com/wTCsxsJwNO, Search party is growing pic.twitter.com/AwpHtHwgXy. Nice to see the photos again. A rare survivor, he declared himself doing "very well, anxious to get back to work.". Haast's second wife, Clarita, simply narrated, setting the mood for the audience. 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. 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. Before this, the crocodile had lived for 20 years in the pit without incident. Haast physically extracted venom from venomous snakes by holding them by the head and forcing them to bite a rubber membrane covering a vial. 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. "We're the only fire-based response team in the world." I'm recommending this site to my grandson, Piers and now that I'm a snowbird residing in Ft. Myers part time, I'll keep watching for news of your 100th birthday party! My uncle made a point to tell me to look up this site. Haast caught his first snake at 7; his first serious bite was at 12. The couple raised the alarm with lifeguards but by that time the alligator had disappeared with the child. As a girl in the early 60's, I lived down the block from Dr Haast and his family. I remember visiting the Serpentarium on a school field trip when I was in kindergarten, in 1971. Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his wife and son. National television shows hosted by Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas and Johnny Carson invited him or featured him during visits to Miami. Art Levy | 8/1/2008. "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. I visited the Serpentarium two time back in 1958 and 1967, it was a very interesting place to tour. 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. 10 junio, 2022 the contact angle on a thigh and drive tackle is. Finding this site reminds me what saints my parents were! Sheppard gave injections to patients with MS. His clinic became famous and was featured on CBS's 60 Minutes. I have watched tv programs about him on Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel. Today, out of print, it's coveted by collectors and sells on eBay for more than $100, a testament to Haast's popularity. He respected him very much. I am now 42 years with a very youthful appearance and in excellent health! Not sure she had quite the same fascination that I did but it's still very memorable. It was'nt the aninmal's fault that boy fell into the pit (the alligator was where he was suppose to be. ''I can no longer open my hands wide or make a fist,'' Haast explained. Haast saw that a boy had fallen into the crocodile pit. Haast eventually returned home, married and enrolled in airplane-mechanic school, but Florida called. Hanley "Doc" Harding, Aurora Protection Specialists. Parents Don Julio and Margini Fernndez Flores were so traumatized by their son's death, they plan to move to Nicaragua to try and protect their other young children, aged between three and 16. When you left his exhibit, you loved the snakes, and I hasve never been afraid of them for the rest of my life. Besides the mayor's key, they gave him a firefighter's helmet bearing the unit's name: Venom 1. 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. Suddenly, he heard screaming and ran toward the commotion. I have Ophidiophobia (not herpetophobia the fear of reptiles) a true fear of snakes. We used to hunt non-poisonous snakes in the Glades, Homestead farmlands: king snakes, red ratsnakes, yellow ratsnakes, indigos, black racers, etc., and take them down to mr Haas and he had a yardstick on the table and would measure them by the foot, pay us maybe .25cents/foot for the ratsnake, .35/foot for the kingsnakes, etc. Living In Ms. we had plenty of cotton mouths copperheads and assorted others. He always survived and promoted his anti-snake venom that saved many other lives. Today Dec26, 2008 I am looking at his picture some 45 years later and hooks the same. While on my honeymmon in Orlando we rode down to Miami to the Serpentarium and watched Bill milk some snakes. For almost four decades, Haast charmed curious tourists who flocked to his South Dixie Highway attraction, the Miami Serpentarium, to watch his snake show. A small alligator, maybe 5 foot with tail had gotten loose and was wandering. His next bite, later the same year, came from a four-foot copperhead. Jim F. Thank you for bringing back many many wonderful memories. The gentle smile said yes as I ran in the house saying " He' a Colonel Dick a real live Colonel!!!" I've tried to keep up with him from time to time. Wow the good old days and funny thing is my name is Cookie!!! "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. BILL PUT ON HIS MILKING SHOW WHEN A SNAKE IN BILL'S HAND WIGGLED AROUND AND SPRAYED A WHITE LIQUID FROM THE REAR OF THE SNAKE INTO THE CROWD AND ACROSS THIS WOMEN'S LEGS IN FRONT OF US. They moved to Florida so that Haast could pursue his dream of opening a "snake farm". 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. It's been five years since an alligator snatched 2-year-old Lane Graves who was playing on the beach at Walt Disney World's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, dragging the boy into the Seven Seas . No. In his case, he claims the venom has helped him live a long and healthy life -- with the exception of his snakebitten hands. As far as I recall, the Cobra on the roof was the one from the Serpentarium. God bless Mr. Haas, and all the good he has done, on top of the lives he has saved through his bravery and research. The boy's father and another man, Nicolas Caulineau, jumped into the pit and straddled the crocodile. 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. We entered the Serpentarium and a fellow (Haas) walked out of the back office to greet the tourists and said" he's dead" referring to John F. Kennedy, President of the USA. Legend has it that the Timacuan indians who lived there before the European settlers arrived, revered these snakes as Gods. The cobra that Elliot Arkin made was the one inside the building across from the office. I was a nurse in the ICU at Variety Children's Hospital on at least three of Haast's admissions after snake bites. His grey pleated linen trowsers were pressed and as spotless as his egyptian cotton White shirt, topped with a most stunning Pith Helment. I will enjoy looking over this site over time. His unique contribution to medicine earned him widespread recognition. 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. It stood almost eye level with Bill and lunged repeatedly as it advanced across the floor toward him. I recall Carlita as being a very exotic woman with her eyes made up just like snake's eyes! 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. His daughter Nya, my sister and I used to play together. THE body of the two-year-old boy, Lane Graves, snatched by an alligator at a Disney resort has now been recovered. ", Twitter accolades came in from across the globe. BILL TOLD THE CROWD NOT TO WORRY, "IT'S ONLY CALCIUM". In his heyday, he was flown around the world to hospitals where people bitten by rare snakes would have died without his blood. independent local journalism in Miami. Every year we took a field trip there, and every year I looked forward to it. 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! 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! I am a big guy and I thought we could easily hold him still. I can still recall watching a 12 or 14 ft gator, said to have been the largest but for its missing tail. The snake had disappeared, but I estimate that the snake, which had at least a one foot girth, was 14 feet or more. Most of the family agreed it was better than any other stops we made, including the newly opened Disney World. Even though this article is of the Snakeman as we called him I want to comment a special person. He was rushed to see a doctor, but quickly recovered without further treatment. ``If I live to be 100 I'll really make the point.'' For inspiration and advice, he leaned on Haast. He could not have been nicer to us and spent some time talking to us. Florida is renowned for having more alligators than any other US state. 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. Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahaler said everyone at the resort was devastated by what happened and Disney was helping the family. 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. 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. The Depression killed the snake attraction, so Haast went to work for a bootlegger based in the Florida Everglades, until revenue agents busted their still. In April 2010, a 25-year-old woman from New Jersey was killed by a . 2, my first Indigo. Haast really wanted to find the cure or treatment for polio and feels he came close. After many years of being a Bill Haast fan, I was thrilled to be there. local news and culture. Donated several snakes over the years also, mostly coral snakes from Opa Locka area. He would shove the snake's fangs into the top of a vial and watch the venom trickle down. The findings were very encouraging, Haast said. My Dad would take me there often, we lived in South Miami (as I do againlong story). 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. ''I hit him over the head, trying to get him to let go.'' It was a very low wall. The Serpentarium was my childrens favorate place to go on weekends, especially my son who is now grown and still holds a fasination for snakes. Haast maintained a similar bank in Miami when he ran the Serpentarium theme park, which closed in 1984. ''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. When my family came to Miami in1961, they left me in Lakeland, Florida with my aunt and uncle, who happened to be an avid hunter/fisherman. Crowds cheered as he collected venom from the snakes in dramatic displays. Disney has now closed all resort beaches out of an abundance of caution until further notice, a Disney spokesperson said Wednesday morning. Two-year-old Lane Thomas Graves had been playing in . Flores said it has been very difficult for the family, adding: 'It is impossible to continue living in Matina because in every corner of the house we find something that reminds us of Julito, that causes us a lot of pain. Now close to 60, a S. Floridian I can still remember driving by that concrete cobra many times. We ran it over, and with a little coaxing, I convinced the driver to return. "I just have a curious nature," he said. A crocodile takes rest by the water at the Yala National Park in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on August 21, 2022. Many times Haast donated his blood to be used in treating snake-bite victims when a suitable anti-venom was not available. But the FDA shut it down and banned the drug, saying PROven had not been properly tested for humans. There were others I recall, Monkey Jungle, Parrot Jungle, but none had the that eye catching element of suspense like The Serpentarium. Bill's dedication to helping science, medicine, and snakebite victims was always unwavering. It was in 1960, I was in my junior year at San fernando Valley State college at Northridge ,California. One particular snake that I remember from my childhood visits to the Serpentarium was a big, oversized Florida Eastern Diamond Back rattlesnake. Glad to see many others share great memories of the Serpentarium. In the early 1970s, I was carrying out a survey to document the status of certain native reptiles and amphibians of a seven-county area iof siytgh Florida. On one trip, Dr. Haast was there, but not in his office or outside on the lawn as usual. Luckily though, I see from visiting one of the links that there is an attraction to view snake milking in St. While there, a gentleman drove in with a huge python he caught on his property and had in a wire basket. 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. Julio Otero Fernndez was wading knee-deep in the Matina River in Limn, eastern Costa Rica, when the reptile lunged at him, pulled him under and killed him. Haast's death-defying act didn't disappoint. Inside, the snake shows were pure drama with no frills, no fanfare, no drum roll, no silence please, no ladies and gentleman. Responders at Disney World searching for boy who was dragged into a lagoon by an alligator. "Miami was in Bill's heart to the end," his widow said. They had the best house! If you are the site owner (or you manage this site), please whitelist your IP or if you think this block is an error please open a support ticket and make sure to include the block details (displayed in the box below), so we can assist you in troubleshooting the issue. It is one stop from the Magic Kingdom Park and the Seven Seas Lagoon is popular with water lovers and boating enthusiasts. He suffered 17 bites that nearly killed him, one put him in an iron lung for three days, his system paralyzed. 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. There he met and eloped with his first wife, Ann. As a young teenager in the mid 1960's I was very interested in all types of reptiles. See the article in its original context from. All rights reserved, See Where Florida Ranks Among The Cheapest and Most Expensive U.S. 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. Haast, the world-renowned ''Miami snakeman,'' is now 95 and living on a sprawling Punta Gorda ranch with his third wife, Nancy -- and 400 snakes that supply his venom-selling Miami Serpentarium Laboratories. I lived just across the road from Bill's place in 1959 thru 1961 and went. [8], Haast closed the Serpentarium in 1984, and moved to Utah for a few years. The attack happened on Friday, Dec. 11 during the afternoon in Borneo, Malaysia. 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. Using nothing but a thin hooked metal rod. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. NEW Police have found evidence a 12-year-old was killed in a crocodile attack in northern Australia. 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. "My So-Called Life", pg. Thanks for the wonderful memories and great work you have done. Read More on The US Sun. on. I lived across South Dixie Highway from the Miami Serpentarium. We looked out and could see both Bill and Nancy peeking out from their office with a big grin! ''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. 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. Icon: Bill Haast. He would tell us stories about going to Boy Scout Camp with this extraordinary man, Bill Hasst. Haast calls it one of the lowest points in his life. Demings said there had been no other recent reports of similar alligator attacks on the lake. Did you know that Charlie Baxter aka MT GRAVES IS STILL ALIVE & is one hell of a nice guy. But Haast no longer can handle the forked-tongued killers that made him famous. 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. She would take some of her snakes to Bill Haast. An estimated 1,000 people every year are killed in crocodile attacks, many more than by sharks. My granddaddy was Robert Kundtz, horticulurist. Sometimes a snake would upstage Haast, biting him in front of spectators. 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 will ask him to sign a copy and send it to you and your brother." When I was in high school I worked at the Serpentarium and even helped out with the King Cobra Shows on the weekend. I somehow got to this page from an old email I found and did the Google thing for " Bill "Miami Snakeman" Haast " and here I find myself with those shared memories. 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". He died of natural causes on Wednesday in Punta Gorda, on Florida's west coast, where he had made his home. But I still think he should not have shot that alligator. And modern medical researchers are proving him right snake venom fractions are becoming recognized as potent medicines. They paid my mother something like $10 or more for the snake. Haast went to the pit with a pistol the very next day and shot the croc. It was intuitive. His dream of creating a snake sanctuary grew nearer. I don't remember how long he was but I DO remember how strong he was. I also supplied 40 desert sidewinder rattlesnakes for Jim to exhibit in a large glass fronted cage filled with sea sand. It remains in my library to this day. A crew of more than 50 people, including experienced alligator trappers and sheriffs department divers using sonar equipment, helicopters and boats searched the network of man-made canals, ponds and lakes to recover the boys body. Julio. I believe that it was one of the great thrills of my life. Sheriff Demings confirmed there was a sign near the water warning people not to swim. He started extracting venom from his snakes when he was 15 years old, and dropped out of school when he was 16 years old. 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. The attraction had a gift shop, 400-pound turtles, a 20-foot-long python. I think its horrible that he killed that animal. Every so often the evening news would announce "Bill Haast had been bitten by a poisonous snake AGAIN." I have such respect for Mr. Haast and for all of his work. I think one of the two men was Mr. Haast himself. More animals than anyone I ever knew, and of every variety. For some in Miami, though, the whole debate has stirred up painful memories of another tragic incident.
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