Maggie’s Ode to Bill Haast(snake dude)

[armorpl8chikn]

"Do you see his pants leg Mike?"

I know what my pants leg would have looked like.

 

[armorpl8chikn]

The story of Bills war with the FDA is a really good story.
Bill Haast actually developed a cure for polio. An excellent study in the origins of big pharma.

The Official Website of W.E. "Bill" Haast

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

billhaast.com

The Official Website of W.E. "Bill" Haast

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

www.billhaast.com

 

[Deleted member 10043]

Man, I remember him. When we had three channels it wasn't hard to know when he was going to be on TV.

 

[shootist2004]

I heard a cool story about Haast during the southeast asia "conflict". The army called a family and said your son was bitten by a krait.
The family had a brainstorm. They called Haast and told him what happened and can he fly to Vietnam and give their son a transfusion
(because his blood has the antibodies for every venomous snake in the world) ...Haast asked when was he bitten? They said 7 days ago....
Haast said he's dead by now.

 

[504ranger]

I remember going to see him at his Serpentarium in FL when I was a kid. Amazing place and the dude had some serious stones dealing with (and getting bit) by all those snakes. IIRC a kid fell into the alligator pit and was killed at some point.

 

[Waorani]

Read Cobra In His Garden when I was a kid but never made it to Miami Serpentarium. Furthest south I was able to get on family trips was Ross Allen's at Silver Springs.

 

[EddieNFL]

I remember reading an interview with him and he mentioned the number of venoms he was injected with on a regular basis. I can't recall the number, but I remember thinking "WOW!"

 

[Snipe260]

That guy even looks like a snake to a degree!

 

[canezach]

I remember going to see him at his Serpentarium in FL when I was a kid. Amazing place and the dude had some serious stones dealing with (and getting bit) by all those snakes. IIRC a kid fell into the alligator pit and was killed at some point.

If we're talking the Miami Serpentarium, we used to take field trips there when I was in elementary school. The place had the giant cobra head rising above the roof line. I think they tore the place down around 1984 when Mr. Haast moved north.