William Haast at his Miami Serpentarium in the 1950's. These flights took him to South America, Africa and India, where he bought snakes to bring back to America, including his first cobra. He was a local celebrity known for something really worthwhile (unlike so many celebrities nowadays). Television, a book, big crowds, all helped to build up Haast's image and popularity. Except for the grey hair and receding hairline I would have said 'hasn't changed a bit". I always had one or more in my bedroom and it drove my mom nuts.. Green mambas. Bill Jr. eventually left, having lost interest in snakes, but not before he had been bitten four times by venomous snakes. 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. boy killed by crocodile at miami serpentarium He suffered 17 bites that nearly killed him, one put him in an iron lung for three days, his system paralyzed. 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. He would free the snakes on a table in front of him, then catch the snakes bare-handed, and force them to eject their venom into glass vials with a rubber membrane stretched across the top. His wife Ann did not approve, and they eventually divorced. 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. The crime . Today Dec26, 2008 I am looking at his picture some 45 years later and hooks the same. He was known as the "go-to guy" for snakebites. Haast is still trying to prove a point: He'll go to his grave believing venom can heal. Good memories of a time long ago. This official Bill Haast website is being presented in honor of one of the greatest pioneers, visionaries, humanitarians and scientists of all time. For years, Haast tried to prove that venom could treat multiple sclerosis, lupus, arthritis and Parkinson's disease. 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. This time it came out! Haast. THIS SOFT SPOKEN WOMAN TURNED TO HER FAMILY AND SAID "I'VE COME ALL THE WAY TO MIAMI TO HAVE SOME SNAKE S__T ON ME". Thanks for putting it up! When I was in high school I worked at the Serpentarium and even helped out with the King Cobra Shows on the weekend. From 1947 until 1984, he operated the Miami Serpentarium, a tourist attraction south of Miami, Florida, where he extracted venom . Cloud, a venom business where the public can pay to watch workers extract venom from snakes. He said his last snakebite, Number 173 suffered in 2003 -- courtesy of a Malaysian pit viper -- was the final blow to his hands, already mangled from years of enduring the nerve- and tissue-destroying poison that snakes spew when biting. 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. 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 asked him one evening if I could walk with him he said yes in the baritone of gentle command. Miami-Dade police said around 4:30 p.m. Barry Ellis was shot inside a home he . The last time I saw him he told me never to get bit again and offered me a job. Among them a zoo director from Des Moines, a local construction worker and a Venezuelan father. A krait anti-venom was shipped from India, but when it arrived after a 48-hour flight, he refused to accept it. The boy's father and uncle jumped into the ?it and tried to pry open the crocodile's mouth. Haast's death-defying act didn't disappoint. boy killed by crocodile at miami serpentarium Bill's dedication to helping science, medicine, and snakebite victims was always unwavering. Legend has it that the Timacuan indians who lived there before the European settlers arrived, revered these snakes as Gods. As people gathered close Bill unlatched the door on the end of the cage. 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. The Serpentarium opened at the end of 1947, still not completed. Cloud. Mr. Haasts dream of a first-class snake farm came true when he opened his Miami serpentarium in 1947. Great stories were told on our nightly walks, stories of Africa in the "War" , Safaries, snakes hey we like snakes , Dick gets in troule all the time with his snakes. The mouse would die. We lived in Southern California. houses for rent in ely, iowa. He caught his first garter snake at 7 at a nearby canal. After the fight ended, the victim walked away, at which time Cox pulled out a gun and shot at the victim, striking him in the head, authorities said. Mr. Haast closed the serpentarium in 1984 after a 6-year-old boy fell into his crocodile pit and was fatally mauled. Others joined Haast. Opening day was Jan. 1, 1948. He placed a live, non-venomous snake into one of the supposedly empty boxes to be cleaned. The last snake I had was a 12' burmese python that I owned a few years ago. He made special trips, bringing back such perilous species as cobras and saw-scaled vipers. I don't remember which one was the infamous "Cookie". Bill was an outstanding dedicated man. I thought that was pretty cool back then, and still do. I have such respect for Mr. Haast and for all of his work. 2, my first Indigo. Needless to say I was quite nervous also, thinking of what might happen if that snake went through the crowd. MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. The person who shot and killed a 15-year-old boy is on the run. He was back at it next week when we came again to fill the popcorn machines. 'There is no reason to visit Miami. Thank you for the bio of this incredible man. In 1949, he began supplying venom to a medical researcher at the University of Miami for experiments in the treatment of polio. The cobra that Elliot Arkin made was the one inside the building across from the office. Suddenly, he heard screaming and ran toward the commotion. His unique contribution to medicine earned him widespread recognition. He soon learned how to handle the snakes and found one timber rattler so easy to handle that he posed for a photograph with the snake lying across his lap. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. When walking down a hallway, I passed an open door. "Miami was in Bill's heart to the end," his widow said. I'll never forget April Fools day there! 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. I was a nurse in the ICU at Variety Children's Hospital on at least three of Haast's admissions after snake bites. In 1990 he moved to Punta Gorda, Florida, with his snakes, where he established the Miami Serpentarium Laboratories. 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. We got a motel room across the road from the Serpentarium. He received his first cobra bite less than a year after he started his immunization program. The latest local, regional and national news events of the morning are presented by the Local 10 News Team along with updated sports, weather and traffic. The Serpentarium was a magical place and Mr. Haast was a very interesting fellow. 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. In the late 1940s, it occurred to Haast that the symptoms of polio mirrored the nerve and muscle disruption caused by a cobra bite. When you left his exhibit, you loved the snakes, and I hasve never been afraid of them for the rest of my life. In the first chapter a bunch of young boys are headed to a swimming hole; one boy races ahead and dives in. But none the less just because Mr. Hass felt bad about what happened he, Haas, shot the alligator for no reason. Across the street, a Haast lived in a nice house. Miami Serpentarium Historical Marker My Parents said we know Mr. Haast would you like to see his snake farm. It was a rattle snake. I believe that it was one of the great thrills of my life. 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". He owned and operated the Miami Serpentarium, a Florida tourist attraction where he extracted venom from snakes in front of paying guests, from 1947 until 1984. How lucky were we that we had this place? A son, William Haast Jr., predeceased him. Is it the venom? I'm very glad I did. 25 39.145 N, 80 19.797 W. Marker is in Pinecrest, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. "He'd put on a show just to supplement the research for the while," she said. 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. It was the story of Bill's adventure with the blue krait bite. Funny thing is, he had different ideas about that. The Official Website of W.E. "Bill" Haast Using nothing but a thin hooked metal rod. 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. We ran it over, and with a little coaxing, I convinced the driver to return. Editor's Note: We are saddened to learn of the death last Saturday of Dean Ripa, owner of the Cape Fear Serpentarium in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, and the subject of this beloved 2005 Oxford American feature by our contributing editor Wendy Brenner.Brenner was a finalist for an ASME National Magazine Award in Feature Writing for this story, which was also anthologized in Best . This is greatl so good to know that Doc is still alive and doing at least some of what he loves best. Inside, the snake shows were pure drama with no frills, no fanfare, no drum roll, no silence please, no ladies and gentleman. The Roberson Funeral Home of Port Charlotte said Friday that arrangements were incomplete. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Sincerely, an understanding and appreciative person! 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. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue pronounced him dead at the scene. His first king cobra bite was in 1962. did matthew boynton shoot his wife . . The experiments gave encouraging results, but were still in preliminary clinical trials when the Salk polio vaccine was released in 1955. We also used to go to his show at the Serpentarium, and it fascinated my brother. More about the Miami Serpentarium , Miami Serpentarium Laboratories is the standardbearer of quality in venom production and service to the scientific community. * 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.