On one trip, Dr. Haast was there, but not in his office or outside on the lawn as usual. He closed the business in 1984, moved to Utah for a few years but returned to Florida in 1990 and settled in a Punta Gorda ranch with Nancy, his third wife, and some 400 snakes that supplied his Miami Serpentarium Laboratories. 555 waverly avenue, brooklyn. Copyright 2023 Local10.com is published by WPLG INC., a Berkshire Hathaway company. When we said goodby, I knew this was a moment I would remember for the rest of my life. Join the New Times community and help support From Dadeland areafor you have info, on this still. He died within 24 hours from respiration paralysis and a brain hemorrhage. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Amanda Batchelor, Digital Executive Producer. 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. Detectives said when they arrived to the scene, people were attempting to take the teen to the hospital. Mr. Haast closed the serpentarium in 1984 after a 6-year-old boy fell into his crocodile pit and was fatally mauled. I've outlived all my friends down there.' This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Mr. Haasts dream of a first-class snake farm came true when he opened his Miami serpentarium in 1947. It was July, 1972, and my family was making our first visit to the Serpentarium. I am so glad to have found this site. 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 ). But in 1980 the Food and Drug Administration banned the product as useless after saying that numerous deficiencies had been found in Mr. Haasts manufacturing process. Their daughters, Nya and Shantee probably do not even remeber me (it was in the early seventies). 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. Bill Jr. eventually left, having lost interest in snakes, but not before he had been bitten four times by venomous snakes. [3] Haast extracted venom from venomous snakes from the time he was a boy. Even though the Serpentarium was there, some people still got bitten, and died from the poisonous snakes. But the FDA shut it down and banned the drug, saying PROven had not been properly tested for humans. Thanks for the wonderful memories and great work you have done. PARROT JUNGLE, MONKEY JUNGLE, SEAQUARIUM, ETC. ''I miss the excitement of the Serpentarium,'' Haast said. Across the street, a Haast lived in a nice house. The boy's father and uncle jumped into the ?it and tried to pry open the crocodile's mouth. Look at how big the transplanted Pythons get and that they thrive and fight the alligators in the Everglades. I could see their fears fade as they got the nerve to touch a real snake and realize that is wasn't slimy. A Venomous Price to Pay In recent years, snakebite victims have been billed hundreds of thousands of dollars for antivenom. * 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. He was 100. His wife Nancy says Haast died Wednesday evening, June 15, 2011. According to the report, Cox fled the scene but later responded to the Miami-Dade Police Departments Homicide Bureau where he provided a video-recorded statement. He would tell us stories about going to Boy Scout Camp with this extraordinary man, Bill Hasst. Children shrieked in horrified glee. He received his first cobra bite less than a year after he started his immunization program. After Bill sold the Serpentarium, our 12,000 sq.ft. ``I feel like a man in his 60s.'' How did he get them through Customs? William "Bill" Haast, director of the Miami Serpentarium Laboratories (which he operated from 1947 to 1984) died June 15 at the age of 100. . In the 1970s, along with his friend, respected Miami physician Ben Sheppard, Haast distributed PROven, a venom-based serum. It was all in a days work for probably the best-known snake handler in the country, a scientist-cum-showman who made enough money from milking toxic goo from slithery serpents to buy a cherry-red Rolls-Royce convertible. 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. This subspecies, restricted to the Florida Keys, obviously was named for Bill Haast. In 1964, a book was written about him. ''I can no longer open my hands wide or make a fist,'' Haast explained. People were lining up for a show. Police in northwest Miami-Dade County investigate after a teenager was shot and killed. Every week, Haast still injects his arm with a cocktail of venom from five snakes -- cobras, mambas, kraits, cottonmouths and rattlesnakes. I was about 9 yrs old, and always remembered the story vividly. The year was 1977 when a young boy tumbled into an enclosure at the Miami. The mouse would die. I lived just across the road from Bill's place in 1959 thru 1961 and went. The original cobra was a metal structure that was twisted into oblivion by a rare tornado in the late 50's or early 60's. I was hurt, she said. He suddenly dropped his hook and reached in with his hand, and grabbed it then swung it over the heads of the audience. I first heard of Bill Haast around 1955, when reading a "man's magazine" (as they were called back then, probably Argosy. He had a clinic called St. Jude Clinic on SW 8 Street. 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. 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. boy killed by crocodile at miami serpentarium. Miami-Dade police are investigating after a 16-year-old boy was fatally shot late Tuesday night at an apartment complex. 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. Jaws dropped. Even though this article is of the Snakeman as we called him I want to comment a special person. Nonetheless, the boy, who was battered and submerged, was killed. During the 1950s, he was bitten by cobras about twenty times. It was 1929. They had the best house! Thanks for jogging my memory. He placed a live, non-venomous snake into one of the supposedly empty boxes to be cleaned. A son, William Haast Jr., predeceased him. On another visit I was told that the big lump in the python I was looking at was the suckling pig it had swallowed whole and was digesting, I, was surprised to find myself on the ground with ammonia being waved under my nose! 76. As a result of handling these snakes, Haast had been bitten 172 times by mid-2008,[4] all of which but the last few were validated by the Guinness Book of World Records "for surviving the most deadly snake bites", a distinction Haast disliked as he did not think being bitten was a goal to be attained or admired.[5]. (Different venoms require different antidotes.). Haast went to the pit with a pistol the very next day and shot the croc. I took care of Clarita Haast's original Continental Mark. This official Bill Haast website is being presented in honor of one of the greatest pioneers, visionaries, humanitarians and scientists of all time. But I remember leaning over the small wall to look closer at that croc when my feet slipped and I pitched forward towards the pit. It's a shame that everything is gone now. The Serpentarium opened at the end of 1947, still not completed. Haast finally sold the 5.2-acre lot, now in Pinecrest, for $3.2 million and headed to Utah for more snake research. Thanks again Bill.. The Roberson Funeral Home of Port Charlotte said Friday that arrangements were incomplete. His grey pleated linen trowsers were pressed and as spotless as his egyptian cotton White shirt, topped with a most stunning Pith Helment. 1. canticle of zechariah explained. The show was great. This time it came out! Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. That was in 1971 and I kept that car until 3 years ago when I sold it for 35000.00 in pieces. In 1965, Cobras in his Garden, a book about Haast's exploits, was published. So, on a trip to visit my parents in Miami, when Scot was two (1977), we took him to the Miami Serpentarium. When walking down a hallway, I passed an open door. Soon, his quest for exotic snakes stretched around the world. MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. - The person who shot and killed a 15-year-old boy is on the run. Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com. Haast started collecting snakes and, after initial opposition from his mother, was allowed to keep them at home. I remember one time that one got the better of him and bit him in the neck. I then got a "thank you". He is truely an extraordinary man. I think one of the two men was Mr. Haast himself. Bill Haast cause of death is covered in this article. I will forever carry fond memories of "Doc" and how he turned my life around. I called Haast to see what he could tell me about it. He was known as the "go-to guy" for snakebites. Among them a zoo director from Des Moines, a local construction worker and a Venezuelan father. When she got in the car she said she had a suprise for me. Nevertheless, researchers have continued to work on drugs made from venom in the hope of using it to treat cancer, Alzheimers and other diseases. In my Junior high days, I was a snake enthusiast. There was something unique and special about living old Miami, Its individuals like Bill and The Serpentarium that paved Miami's history in a way like no other place in the world. Unfortunately, in 1977 a six-year-old boy fell into the crocodile pit at Miami Serpentarium and was killed by "Cookie", a 12-ft-long crocodile. Haast. I recall the incident where the child died -- it was very tragic and Mr. Haast clearly felt terrible about it. He was shot in the upper torso, said Miami-Dade police Detective Angel Rodriguez. Haast really wanted to find the cure or treatment for polio and feels he came close. All this may be imaginative conjecture of a teenage boy.. .Once thing sure, though, Him and his wife sure looked scary, to we boys, in those white Drs. 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 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 think that this Dr., was loved by thousands of Miamians, because of him lives are save. I remember him as a very genuine, nice man. Sadly, Haast shut down his Miami Serpentarium after a young guest was killed by one of his crocodiles. Glad to see many others share great memories of the Serpentarium. I witnessed one such snake in 1985 on a dirt road in northeast Florida. Bill. 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. According to his arrest report, Archie Cox Jr., of Miami, was taken into custody April 3 on a second-degree murder charge. 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. Thank you for reminding me about this incredible man. Haast routinely injected himself with venom to build up resistance to the ill effects of the inevitable bites. [9] In an August 2008 Florida Trend interview, he stated, "Aging is hard. He later received commendations from President Gerald Ford and Miami Mayor Stephen Clark. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. 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. I remember it sliding around my leg and shaking my leg till it feel off. 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. Set in the American South in the 20th century. RIP kind soul. 'There is no reason to visit Miami. Before this, the crocodile had lived for 20 years in the pit without incident. We looked out and could see both Bill and Nancy peeking out from their office with a big grin! Bill is a true forward thinker and an inspiration to all herpetologists. When I opened the box I saw my new pet, a 6 foot beautiful Indigo Snake. Eventually, his collection became one of the most diverse venomous snakes on the planet. Haast killed the croc the next day. 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. San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said Saturday . (Miami-Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation/WPLG), just before 11 p.m. March 21 at the North Park at Scott Carver apartment complex. Mr. Haast, who was director of the Miami Serpentarium Laboratories, a snake-venom producer near Punta Gorda, Fla., died of natural causes on Wednesday at his home in southwest Florida, his wife, Nancy, said. I believe that it was one of the great thrills of my life. I remember in 3rd grade, back in 1960, one of my classmates dropped her purse into the crocodile pit. Haast's second wife, Clarita, simply narrated, setting the mood for the audience. "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, Pages with login required references or sources, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 26 March 2022, at 06:33. And I still do as if it happened yesterday. 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. Sincerely, an understanding and appreciative person! I'd rather go back in the ocean than back to the Serpentarium! Quite a memory! My father used to deliver popcorn to the Miami Serpentarium in the late 60's early 70's and I used to love to watch Mr. Haast handle the King Cobras. 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. Knowing me from my letters, he seemed genuinely interested in the details I told him about my own small collection. Mr. Haast closed the serpentarium in 1984 after a 6-year-old boy fell into his crocodile pit and was fatally mauled. I recently saw Mr. Hasst on wild kingdon with Jack Hanna (aired 1997 maybe). Keep it up Mr. Haast. It was buried on the grounds. the luckiest leprechaun activities; what is the boiling point of lemon juice; cecil county district court commissioners office. The price of a gram of freeze-dried venom from exotic snakes, requiring 100 or more extractions to accumulate, could exceed $5,000. In 1954 Haast was bitten by a common, or blue, krait. Mr. Haast's passing reminded South Floridians of a bygone era when entrepreneurs could set up quirky roadside attractions along Dixie Highway, U.S. 1, to thrill both local school kids and wintering vacationers who fled the cold. ( Because they wouldn't let me move here by myself.) Barry Ellis III, a 15-year-old eight-grader at Horace Mann Middle School, was shot and killed at the trailer park at 8050 NW Miami Ct. on Wednesday. View an extensive list of available venoms , William "Bill" Haast (1910 - 2011) was the Pioneer of Venom Production for Venom Research. 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 visited the Serpentarium in the late 70s on a trip down to Key West. Cookie broke free and took the boy underwater. It was not that far from us and yet we were not fearful. Thanks for the update on Bill Haast! Bowker, of New York, pleaded guilty for his role in arranging for 22 snakes to be delivered to the Serpentarium in an apparent swap for the same number of American alligators. great childhood memories spent there with my family , i remember getting goose bumps when we would see the cobra statue. Palm vipers. However, the venom eventually did affect him, and he was taken to a hospital where it took him several days to recover. Tragically, a 6-year-old boy fell in and died in 1977. A Malayan pit viper mangled an index finger. 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. Although Haast did not have antivenin for that snake, he knew a collector who did and who provided the 15 vials of antivenin that saved the victim's life. 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. My friend Jim Danaaldson who procured and trained animals for the film industry had set up a Reptile Exposition at Devonshire downs and I was an exhibiter . Like I said, we were always grabbing any snakes we came across, and one day finally got a Moccasin. When you left his exhibit, you loved the snakes, and I hasve never been afraid of them for the rest of my life. He suffered 17 bites that nearly killed him, one put him in an iron lung for three days, his system paralyzed. I was 16 yrs.old and going outside at night with no shoes on and stepped on the snake in the dark. C.C. That might have occurred, since some recent field guides I have examined do not include haasti. Miami is a hotbed for venomous snake bites because it is the entry point for almost any exotic snake, whether it is bound for a collector or a zoo in another state. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue pronounced him dead at the scene. 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. I am wondering if that was the same pit the young boy had fallen into. it stirred interest faster than the key lime pie and local jelly signs. "My So-Called Life", pg. Now if I can find out more about The Colonel? More about the Miami Serpentarium , Miami Serpentarium Laboratories is the standardbearer of quality in venom production and service to the scientific community. They all screamed, then everyone had a good laughed together! Unfortunately, in 1977 a six-year-old boy fell into the crocodile pit at Miami Serpentarium and was killed by "Cookie", a 12-ft-long crocodile. I was inspired by him because as kids we used to go all through the Evergaldes looking for snakes to catch. He inspired a life long love of reptiles for me and now my two children.. Besides his wife, the former Nancy Harrell, he is survived by two daughters, three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. There's a picture of me and an indigo snake, probably nearly as long as I was tall. I remember him extracting cobra venom too as that was part of a demonstration. not on the animals, or even the people walking around. I saw so many people face their phobias of snakes and actually touch one for the first time. "Miami was in Bill's heart to the end," his widow said. In the first chapter a bunch of young boys are headed to a swimming hole; one boy races ahead and dives in. Haast eventually returned home, married and enrolled in airplane-mechanic school, but Florida called. It was intuitive. 25 39.145 N, 80 19.797 W. Marker is in Pinecrest, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. I lived across South Dixie Highway from the Miami Serpentarium. Worst time of my life!!! My brother was always over there buying, trading snakes. Bowker had hooked. There were others I recall, Monkey Jungle, Parrot Jungle, but none had the that eye catching element of suspense like The Serpentarium. Crowds cheered as he collected venom from the snakes in dramatic displays. They considered him a glorified snake-handler, a showman, a medicine man. He was carrying a snake-bite kit, and had a friend inject him with antivenom; the bite hospitalized him for a week. She was quite a Mom. Thinking back, that have been Cookie. Grainy black-and-white television footage from 1962, now part of the Wolfson Archive, shows a fit, toothy 51-year-old Mr. Haast in a hospital recovering from his 79th snake bite his first ever by a King Cobra. She took over, and the show went on without a hitch. I thought that was pretty cool back then, and still do. Haast eventually returned home, where his mother had leased a concession stand at a lakeside resort. I gathered from what he said that it would not bother him in the least were this variety of snake removed from its separate classification and returned to the larger taxon from which someone had extracted it. Every year we took a field trip there, and every year I looked forward to it. Early in Haast's career, he slogged the wilds of the Everglades collecting cottonmouths and rattlers. I never forgot Mr. Haast and his snakes, and, to this day, I am not scared of snakes or any other animals. But he still wakes up each morning to turn snake venom from across the globe into freeze-dried powder for medical laboratories. 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. I helped the staff along with about 6-8 other visitors in straightening out the snake (as much as he would let us), to be measured. Wow the good old days and funny thing is my name is Cookie!!! "Any time I saw an unusual snake I brought it back," Haast said, sitting on cushioned patio furniture. Police are searching for the shooter and the murder weapon used. The boy's father and another man, Nicolas Caulineau, jumped into the pit and straddled the crocodile. I live in Sarasota now and totally enjoy the water, I think those times are responceable. Bridgette Matter joined the Local 10 News team as a reporter in July 2021. After many years of being a Bill Haast fan, I was thrilled to be there. Besides the mayor's key, they gave him a firefighter's helmet bearing the unit's name: Venom 1. I feel sorry for the young generations that they will never get to see the true mastery of Bill Haast with his serpents. It taught me an important life lessons about fearto just face fears because most of the time our anxiety really isn't worth it. We considered him the Patron Saint of Junkies in those days. Nya used to take us after hours to the Serpentariumm to watch her Dad and his workers feed the animals. The 35' cobra ended up on the roof (south side) of South Miami Senior High-my old high school-where it served proudly for many years. He was 100 years old. His concept of establishing a unique, scientifically based production facility where systems and methods to house, feed, and collect venoms were created . Bill HAAST and the MIAMI SERPENTARIUM Photo Gallery - click on image to view tree view | thumbnails | slideshow: . He would shove the snake's fangs into the top of a vial and watch the venom trickle down. National television shows hosted by Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas and Johnny Carson invited him or featured him during visits to Miami. I hope you live to 100 to prove snake venon is an anti aging wonder. My hands served me well.'' God bless Mr. Haas, and all the good he has done, on top of the lives he has saved through his bravery and research. I don't remember which one was the infamous "Cookie". I remember a Coral snake bit and killed a man digging in his yard in Whispering Pines in 1965. His second, Clarita, and third, Nancy, pitched in enthusiastically. Lots of people like me. Mr. Haast fished it out with a long pole after the big croc took a bite of it. My oldest brother had met a girl who, I believe, had worked at the Miami Serpentarium. I lived on Homestead AFB 1960-66 and as a kid visited the Serpentarium many times. MIAMI (CBS4)- 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. It was a rattle snake. The great legendary Bill Haast, pioneer of venom production for venom research since 1946, was founder and director of the world renowned Miami Serpentarium Laboratories I asked him one evening if I could walk with him he said yes in the baritone of gentle command. As far as how many times, that will be determined by the autopsy results by the ME office.. When young Bill brought his first poisonous snake home to the family apartment, his mother left home for three days, he said. 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. It was in 1960, I was in my junior year at San fernando Valley State college at Northridge ,California. 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. It became bigger than I expected,'' he said. I regretfully declined. Today, out of print, it's coveted by collectors and sells on eBay for more than $100, a testament to Haast's popularity. Bill was sort of surprised but actually seemed happy to see me. 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. In his case, he claims the venom has helped him live a long and healthy life -- with the exception of his snakebitten hands. Having said all that, thank you Mr. Haas for all your wonderful work with snakes. The boy's family never sued, accepting only the maximum insurance payment, Haast said. 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 . Jim F. Thank you for bringing back many many wonderful memories. Miami-Dade police said around 4:30 p.m. Barry Ellis was shot inside a home he . That applies to the many other wildlife that existed back then. The cobra that Elliot Arkin made was the one inside the building across from the office. . It has also shown promise as a medicinal ingredient. MIAMI (CBS4)- 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. In 1982 when I was twelve I moved from England to Hollywood, Fl with my family. I read here about the boy who was killed after falling into the crocidile pit. ``If I live to be 100 I'll really make the point.'' houses for rent in ely, iowa. Search underway for Texas gunman who killed 5 01:46. . The findings were very encouraging, Haast said. In the late 1940s, it occurred to Haast that the symptoms of polio mirrored the nerve and muscle disruption caused by a cobra bite. From The Miami Herald, August 3, 2006 FLASHBACK | THE MIAMI SERPENTARIUM 'Miami snakeman' is 95 and still injects himself with venom BY LUISA YANEZ lyanez@MiamiHerald.com IN PUNTA GORDA: Bill Hasst sold his Miami Serpentarium site in Pinecrest in 1984, and settled in southwest Florida. Reptile World Serpentarium is at 5705 E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy (U.S. 192), St. Not sure she had quite the same fascination that I did but it's still very memorable. 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. ''I knew it was over then.'' "[7], Haast turned 100 in December 2010[10] and died on June 15, 2011.[1]. I am a big guy and I thought we could easily hold him still. Lee Martines - Growing up in Miami in the 40s and 50s I would visit the Serpentarium every couple of years and always marveled at the variety of snakes and the process of extracting the venom from the poisonous ones. Myles, Justin (Dec 2000/Jan 2001 Issue). [2] After closing the Serpentarium, he opened the Miami Serpentarium Laboratories, a facility in Punta Gorda, Florida that produced snake venom for medical and research use. I worked at the Serpentarium for roughly a year, about two years before it closed. 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.

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