Sadly, Haast shut down his Miami Serpentarium after a young guest was killed by one of his crocodiles. As a young teenager in the mid 1960's I was very interested in all types of reptiles. Nonetheless, the boy, who was battered and submerged, was killed. Part scientist, part entertainer, Mr. Haast spent his early years in Miami as a mechanic for Pan Am, while he built the snake farm he called The Serpentarium along a portion of U.S. 1 that today is part of Pinecrest. Miami Serpentarium Historical Marker His original Miami Serpentarium, south of Miami on South Dixie Highway, attracted 50,000 tourists a year for four decades. I think its horrible that he killed that animal. ''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. At the time of the TV airing Mr. Haast was 87 years old and quite handsome he looked no older that early 50s. ''From the first day I walked into the Miami Serpentarium, I knew that was for me,'' he said. 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. Cloud, Florida and it just so happens that my dad lives there now. Haast's mental trauma over the boy's death eventually led to the closure of the Serpentarium on South Dixie Highway. 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. Copyright 2023 Local10.com is published by WPLG INC., a Berkshire Hathaway company. A krait anti-venom was shipped from India, but when it arrived after a 48-hour flight, he refused to accept it. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. 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 . Haast is still trying to prove a point: He'll go to his grave believing venom can heal. There he met and eloped with his first wife, Ann. 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. He was shot in the upper torso, said Miami-Dade police Detective Angel Rodriguez. Serpentarium | Flashback Miami