boy killed by crocodile at miami serpentarium

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. 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 . The couple raised the alarm with lifeguards but by that time the alligator had disappeared with the child. I remember one time that one got the better of him and bit him in the neck. 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. We gave Dr.Haast large Andaconda in 1965". 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. "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. He was carrying a snake-bite kit, and had a friend inject him with antivenom; the bite hospitalized him for a week. Bill Haast and a cobra at the Miami Serpentarium SW 128th Street and South Dixie Highway, Dade County, Florida Thank you to Alvin Lederer for contributing this old image. 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. 10 junio, 2022 the contact angle on a thigh and drive tackle is. .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]. In the 1970s, along with his friend, respected Miami physician Ben Sheppard, Haast distributed PROven, a venom-based serum. 12-foot crocodile . In August 2020, the remains of a 14-year-old boy were cut from a crocodile's stomach after the reptile ate him alive. 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. 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. What amemorable time, nobody was dissapointed and we all calmed down and talked quietly afterwaeds. Glad to see many others share great memories of the Serpentarium. David Mark Wasson was apparently sitting on top of the wall around the pit, dangling his feet during an inter mission between shows when he lost his balance, the authorities said. I gave Dr. Hasst an iguana that got too large for me to keep and from then on he let me come in for free.. See the article in its original context from. THE body of the two-year-old boy, Lane Graves, snatched by an alligator at a Disney resort has . Source = Youtube. 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. I can still recall watching a 12 or 14 ft gator, said to have been the largest but for its missing tail. Suddenly, he heard screaming and ran toward the commotion. 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! 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. Four years ago, I got bit by a Malaysian pit viper, and that was the end of my right . When we got home, she handed me a small travel bag that she had carried with her on board the airplane. The concrete & stucco cobra was the second icon of the Serpentarium. On the way from the Fontainebleau Hotel we heard that President Kennedy had been shot. Devastated villages shouted the name 'Dimas' in hope of the boy still being alive as the crocodile was hauled ashore. I am now 42 years with a very youthful appearance and in excellent health! Worst time of my life!!! I'll never forget April Fools day there! Join the New Times community and help support It was the story of Bill's adventure with the blue krait bite. REMAINS of a fourteen-year-old boy have been pulled from inside a crocodile's belly after he was eaten alive. THE body of the two-year-old boy, Lane Graves, snatched by an alligator at a Disney resort has now been recovered. i would love to read a biography on bill haast or should we say DR.HAAST? 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. It taught me an important life lessons about fearto just face fears because most of the time our anxiety really isn't worth it. I remember visiting the Serpentarium on a school field trip when I was in kindergarten, in 1971. She was quite a Mom. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. by | Jun 10, 2022 | fortnite founders pack code xbox | cowie clan scotland | Jun 10, 2022 | fortnite founders pack code xbox | cowie clan scotland Living In Ms. we had plenty of cotton mouths copperheads and assorted others. 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. Is it the venom? I am so glad to have found this site. it stirred interest faster than the key lime pie and local jelly signs. His body will now be turned over to Orange County officers for an autopsy. ''I miss the excitement of the Serpentarium,'' Haast said. Thanks again Bill.. Bill's dedication to helping science, medicine, and snakebite victims was always unwavering. Nya used to take us after hours to the Serpentariumm to watch her Dad and his workers feed the animals. "Miami was in Bill's heart to the end," his widow said. Furthermore, you shouldn't speak about how a parent should have kept a better eye on their dead son. Authorities found the remains of the . I'd fainted at the realization of a whole baby pig inside that snake! The experiments gave encouraging results, but were still in preliminary clinical trials when the Salk polio vaccine was released in 1955. Res While there, he ended up rooming with a moonshiner on the edge of the Everglades, and became proficient at capturing all kinds of snakes. Two-year-old Lane Thomas Graves had been playing in . The last time I saw him he told me never to get bit again and offered me a job. Mr. Hasst brought out a huge 16 foot long King Cobra and kept it controlled on the lawn in front of us. The emergency services unit celebrated its 10th year recently at the Metro Zoo in Miami. 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. I witnessed one such snake in 1985 on a dirt road in northeast Florida. 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. I lived across South Dixie Highway from the Miami Serpentarium. The event left Haast shaken and the next day, he shot the 1800-pound crocodile nine times. In 1965, Cobras in his Garden, a book about Haast's exploits, was published. There was a "movie night" outside on the beach tonight Saying the alligator might have attacked the baby on the beach. Sometimes, you feel useless. 1, my mother carrying a large snake onboard an airplane, and no. I visited the Serpentarium in the late 70s on a trip down to Key West. Walt Disney World has unveiled a lighthouse memorial for a young boy who was killed by an alligator while on holiday at the Florida theme park. Haast still grows somber when retelling the story: It was a Sunday. Haast's mental trauma over the boy's death eventually led to the closure of the Serpentarium on South Dixie Highway. Staff at the resort were unwilling to comment on the incident. Set in the American South in the 20th century. PARROT JUNGLE, MONKEY JUNGLE, SEAQUARIUM, ETC. Is bitten by dozens of water moccasins and dies. I regretfully declined. On the 2nd trip, an entire day was planned for me there. The findings were very encouraging, Haast said. 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. It also had a pit with a 12-foot-long crocodile called "Cookie" that weighed, literally, a ton. I sure do remember Mr. Haast as I bought the 1969 GT500 Shelby that he once owned. I was fascinated watching them put Mr Haast's feeding tube down and feed the snake. A 20.2-foot (6.17-metre) saltwater crocodile, believed to be the largest ever captured, was trapped in the southern Philippines after a spate of fatal attacks. Every week, Haast still injects his arm with a cocktail of venom from five snakes -- cobras, mambas, kraits, cottonmouths and rattlesnakes. Later that day, boy did he get back at the girl that had done this. He agreed to chat only by telephone with a Miami Herald reporter. At the UM, Haast led in the testing of the serum on monkeys. His first king cobra bite was in 1962. AN eight-year-old boy has been mauled to death by a crocodile just metres from his family home in Malaysia. I always told people I'd live past 100, and I still feel I will. FOR THE MIAMI HERALD King cobras. The boy's family never sued, accepting only the maximum insurance payment, Haast said. When I was a small boy of 8-9 years old in the mid sixties, a distinguished gentleman would walk by our house in the early morning like clockwork. Haast and his teenage son, Bill Jr., began constructing snake pits, the beginning of the Serpentarium. This subspecies, restricted to the Florida Keys, obviously was named for Bill 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. And in July, a woman in Florida died after she fell into a pond and was attacked by two alligators. The animal was of no harm to anyone other than the fool who would allow his self to fall in. Legend has it that the Timacuan indians who lived there before the European settlers arrived, revered these snakes as Gods. [The search] is still very active and [the] chopper keeps circling, he said. Like I said, we were always grabbing any snakes we came across, and one day finally got a Moccasin. He received the key to the city.Those same hands that for decades eased venom from the world's most poisonous snakes held the key to the city of Miami on Thursday. It was July, 1972, and my family was making our first visit to the Serpentarium. I think that this Dr., was loved by thousands of Miamians, because of him lives are save. Not sure she had quite the same fascination that I did but it's still very memorable. Even though this article is of the Snakeman as we called him I want to comment a special person. But I always felt I would live this long. He briefly lived in Utah and returned to Florida to live in Charlotte County 18 years ago. Responders at Disney World searching for boy who was dragged into a lagoon by an alligator. He loved his animals and was deeply committed to bringing them to the world in an educated, and respectful manner. It was not that far from us and yet we were not fearful. Now 39, he is a member of the rescue department's anti-venin unit that rushes to inject those bitten by a poisonous snake. 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. "He was a really nice man with a big heart," said his grand-niece Michelle Haast of Miami. We took 3-4 water snakes there that closely resembled the deadly Water Moccasin, only to be turned away penniless. Inside the bag was a cardboard box with holes in it. I have watched tv programs about him on Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel. Regarding Bill Haast's killing of Cookie the crocodile, bothe Bill Guest and jesse are wrong. At the same time his work saved dozens of lives. Boy Dies After Falling Into Crocodile Pit, https://www.nytimes.com/1977/09/04/archives/boy-dies-after-falling-into-crocodile-pit.html. Using nothing but a thin hooked metal rod. ''I can no longer open my hands wide or make a fist,'' Haast explained. 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. Finding this site reminds me what saints my parents were! Haast was also bitten by a green mamba. In the summer of 1972 I was bitten by a pygmy rattle snake in the middle of a subdivision in south Miami. Television, a book, big crowds, all helped to build up Haast's image and popularity. Needless to say I was quite nervous also, thinking of what might happen if that snake went through the crowd. However, the venom eventually did affect him, and he was taken to a hospital where it took him several days to recover. But Jonas Salk produced a polio vaccine in April 1955, ending Haast's first effort to turn venom into a miracle drug. 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 attackers included cobras, a krait, green mambas, a pygmy rattlesnake, a European asp and a palm viper. Not to mention, people do not operate properly during tragic events. In his trademark white lab coat, he would approach a venomous reptile, lure it with one hand and grab its head with the other. Tatiana Daz, regional director of the Limn Red Cross, has tried to explain the attack. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Donated several snakes over the years also, mostly coral snakes from Opa Locka area. Turns out that I was talking to Bill Hast. 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. He was a great neighborhhod Dad, and I will always remember the fun we had with he, his wife and his children. When I opened the box I saw my new pet, a 6 foot beautiful Indigo Snake. I have such respect for Mr. Haast and for all of his work. In his heyday, he was flown around the world to hospitals where people bitten by rare snakes would have died without his blood. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. A 6-year-old boy fell into a crocodile pit and was killed. In 1982 when I was twelve I moved from England to Hollywood, Fl with my family. The boy's father and another man, Nicolas Caulineau, jumped into the pit and straddled the crocodile. When you left his exhibit, you loved the snakes, and I hasve never been afraid of them for the rest of my life. Eventually, his collection became one of the most diverse venomous snakes on the planet. It was'nt the aninmal's fault that boy fell into the pit (the alligator was where he was suppose to be. I couldn't take the anti-venom so Dr. Haast instructed the hospital on how to treat me. It's a shame good things must always come to an end, isn't it? haasti is different from the parent species only by virtue of an unusual configuration of white coloration on the head and chin. He is truely an extraordinary man. Even though the Serpentarium was there, some people still got bitten, and died from the poisonous snakes. 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. My uncle made a point to tell me to look up this site. I lived on Homestead AFB 1960-66 and as a kid visited the Serpentarium many times. Haast's passing reminded South Floridians of a certain age of the bygone era when entrepreneurs could set up quirky roadside attractions along Dixie Highway, US 1, to thrill both local school kids and wintering vacationers who fled the cold. Now close to 60, a S. Floridian I can still remember driving by that concrete cobra many times. When he had enough, he opened the Serpentarium in Miami in 1946. So, on a trip to visit my parents in Miami, when Scot was two (1977), we took him to the Miami Serpentarium. He gathered 400 cobras and took his findings to a University of Miami researcher. 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. It is one stop from the Magic Kingdom Park and the Seven Seas Lagoon is popular with water lovers and boating enthusiasts. 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". I remember him as a very genuine, nice man. flashbackmiami.com/2013/11/26/serpentarium-2/, Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; CPU OS 15_5 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/605.1.15 (KHTML, like Gecko) GSA/219.0.457350353 Mobile/15E148 Safari/604.1. That photo is one of my favorite collectables. The boy and another friend decided to go . There's a picture of me and an indigo snake, probably nearly as long as I was tall. Demings said there had been no other recent reports of similar alligator attacks on the lake. Keep it up Mr. Haast. It is unclear whether the attack was fatal. The boy's father was helpless to save his son from the creature. I think one of the two men was Mr. Haast himself. Katherine White Popp, whose room is directly outside where the child was taken, said she overheard the mothers screams. 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. On two trips to Florida in the late 60s, my parents took me to The Serpentarium. My father grew up and was born in Paterson, as well. I wish I could have taken my girls there! He purchased his first exotic snake, a diamondback rattler, from a catalog. The boy and his father, David Wasson, 42, were throwing grapes at the crocodile, hoping to see it move, when the boy slipped off a retaining wall on which he had been sitting and fell into the crocodile pit. ''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. Thanks Bill for the show and GOD bless. In 1980 we took my late husband who had ALS (Lou Gerhig's Disease) to the Miama Clinic where. As people gathered close Bill unlatched the door on the end of the cage. I'll never forget this experience. When I was in high school I worked at the Serpentarium and even helped out with the King Cobra Shows on the weekend. In the first chapter a bunch of young boys are headed to a swimming hole; one boy races ahead and dives in. ''Failing at this is one of my biggest regrets,'' Haast said. I was 11 in 1972 when my folks agreed to stop at the Serpentarium when our family of seven drove down from Massachusetts to Key West for February school vacation. boy killed by crocodile at miami serpentarium ", Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. He was back at it next week when we came again to fill the popcorn machines. His contribution to antivenin science is unparalleled and earned him recognition throughout his life. He's truly an amazing man who has lived a life of exemplary devotion to his work. I was Bill's neighbor on the Serpentariums north side from about 1970 until the Village of Pinecrest purchased my land & building in 2000 ( The Carpet Mart ). Those were great times and i'll never forget them! An eight-year-old boy was mauled to death by a crocodile just metres from his family home in Malaysia. An estimated 1,000 people every year are killed in crocodile attacks, many more than by sharks. "We know that there are crocodiles and burrows, but we don't have a notion or a pattern to work on.". As the snakes slithered and slide across the table he was working on the crowd jumped back gasping except me I think I eased even closer. Born William E. Haast on Dec. 30, 1910 in Paterson, N.J., he was a South Florida celebrity for surviving successive venomous snakebites. The snake had disappeared, but I estimate that the snake, which had at least a one foot girth, was 14 feet or more. Thanks for the wonderful memories and great work you have done. by | Jun 10, 2022 | flying saucer bar locations | metro flexline service manual | Jun 10, 2022 | flying saucer bar locations | metro flexline service manual I remember seeing an alligator gulping down whole chickens and being allowed to handle an Indigo snake after Mr. Haast's presentation. He would tell us stories about going to Boy Scout Camp with this extraordinary man, Bill Hasst. 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. He had done research for a polio vaccine, sought a cure for multiple sclerosis. It was 1929. 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. 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. He was bitten for the first time at summer camp a year later, when he tried to capture a small timber rattlesnake. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. When our son was very small, he was afraid of snakes. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, shoot and kill the 17-year-old gorilla named Harambe, Explosive end to case thats rocked America. But the reptile managed to crawl away into a moat in the 50foot square pit, dragging the child with him. Haast's death-defying act didn't disappoint. I well remember Bill Haast and his snake "milking" shows. That was South Dade, Florida, relatively free of the most venomous snakes because Bill Hass and the Serpentarium. The seller's address: Eureka, Fla. Haast knew he had to head south, to a warmer climate favored by snakes. There were others I recall, Monkey Jungle, Parrot Jungle, but none had the that eye catching element of suspense like The Serpentarium. Bill Jr. eventually left, having lost interest in snakes, but not before he had been bitten four times by venomous snakes. That might have occurred, since some recent field guides I have examined do not include haasti. Thanks for jogging my memory. Did you know that Charlie Baxter aka MT GRAVES IS STILL ALIVE & is one hell of a nice guy. Originally, the shots immunized Haast against snake bites, an occupational hazard. ''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. Bill was sort of surprised but actually seemed happy to see me. 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.. In 2019 The Sun reported on the tragic death of a boy, ten, who was killed by crocodile after being dragged from a boat in front of his horrified family. The night of the accident, he took his Luger, walked out to the pit and shot Cookie in the head. The legacy left him immunized, enabling him to donate life-saving blood to 21 victims across the years. Shame on Hass and the parents this poor animal was slaughtered. Mr. Haast fished it out with a long pole after the big croc took a bite of it. ''I hit him over the head, trying to get him to let go.'' His dream of creating a snake sanctuary grew nearer. 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 an enclosure) his parents should have supervised him much better. Alligator seen dragging child into the water. I said yes, I got to feed his snakes white mice, met his daughter (she had a pet lion), used to catch snakes and sell them to Mr. But I must say he had a good sense of humor too. 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 . independent local journalism in Miami. 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. Police said witnesses described the alligator as being between 1.2 and 2.1 metres long. Jim F. Thank you for bringing back many many wonderful memories. Thank you for reminding me about this incredible man. While he was extracting venom from a small cobra, he was struck on the thumb and calmly told his wife that he was going to lie down for awhile. I'm surprised to hear the stories about the cobra being damaged enroute to SMSH. boy killed by crocodile at miami serpentarium. "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. 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. 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. Photo: Orange County Sheriff's Office. Anyone can read what you share. We will have to go and visit the place that a man built who was inspired by Mr. Haast. Grainy WTVJ footage from 1962, now part of the Wolfson Archive, shows a fit, toothy 51-year-old Haast in a hospital recovering from his 79th snake bite his first ever by a King Cobra. VENOM `POSTER BOY' The medical establishment -- and the Food and Drug Administration -- never bought into Haast's enthusiasm for the lethal snake juice as treatment for multiple sclerosis, lupus, arthritis and Parkinson's disease. He was born in 1910 in Paterson, N.J., to German-American parents -- his father was a mechanic, his mom a housewife. 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. . When we said goodby, I knew this was a moment I would remember for the rest of my life. The boy was swimming in a river with a friend on Thursday when the incident occurred. Five alligators have already been caught in the lagoon and euthanised for analysis. Thank you for the bio of this incredible man. 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. I saw so many people face their phobias of snakes and actually touch one for the first time. In 1964, a book was written about him. ''From the first day I walked into the Miami Serpentarium, I knew that was for me,'' he said. 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. Ricky Ganya was last seen collecting snails on a riverbank in Kuching, Malaysia, All rights reserved, See Where Florida Ranks Among The Cheapest and Most Expensive U.S. a woman in Florida died after she fell into a pond and was attacked by two alligators, the remains of a 14-year-old boy were cut from a crocodile's stomach, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. As my mother was paying our admission, a worker rushed over to tell us that we were going to miss the King cobra show. At 19, he got a job with a roadside snake attraction. Crowds cheered as he collected venom from the snakes in dramatic displays. The crocodile is suspected of eating a farmer who went missing in July in the town of Bunawan, and of killing a 12-year-old girl whose head was bitten off two years before. I grew up living close to the Haast's in the 60's. "We're the only fire-based response team in the world." 76. Haast's second wife, Clarita, simply narrated, setting the mood for the audience. He was able to identify the type of snake that bit me by the bite marks. . Sheriff Demings confirmed there was a sign near the water warning people not to swim. I've outlived all my friends down there.'' 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 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. He later received commendations from President Gerald Ford and Miami Mayor Stephen Clark. All times AEDT (GMT +11). The whole experience seemed to do the trick, as he never displayed such fear of snakes again after that. "And in the end the research could take care of itself.". When she got in the car she said she had a suprise for me.