He famously opened his own serpentarium in Miami
The bites of poisonous snakes are deadly, but there are people who on the example proves that every rule has exceptions.
American bill Haast was famous for having opened its own serpentarium in Miami, where he was kept rattlesnakes. From them he suffered for the lives of over 170 bites, but died at the age of 100 years.
The serpentarium Haast – almost the most famous attraction in Florida. Annually submission of Haast visited more than 50 thousand tourists, they with a sinking heart I watched that serpentor bare hands took their wards without fear of bites, and started milking them.
For many years, Haast was trying to prove that, having developed immunity to snake venom and using it as medicine, can cure various diseases, including multiple sclerosis and lupus, arthritis and Parkinson’s disease. Haast proposed the use of a “cocktail” from the venom of the snakes – Cobra, water moccasin, kraits, Mamba and rattler. Needless to say that such experiments would not approve of any public Agency.
To develop immunity, bill Haast regularly injected containing snake venom, he gradually increased the dose. Bill spent his adult life working with snakes, so to milk their usual thing. To collect snakes he started at 16 as soon as I graduated from high school by age 19, he already did it quite professionally. During the war bill served in the air force, he traveled to South America, Africa and India and, on this occasion, brought to America a few snakes, including his first Cobra. In those years, the law has not prohibited the transportation of snakes, however, members of the crew are not happy adjacent to reptiles.
The serpentarium was founded in 1947. In the first five years they were engaged only in Haast family – he, his wife and young son. Bill Jr. four times been the victim of snakes and soon completely lost interest in his father’s business. Haast itself set a record, got into the Guinness Book: by the middle of 2008, he has already received 172 of the bite. Reminded of the absence of several fingers. Critical was one of the bites of the Cobra, which Haast received in the 1950-ies. Then he went to the hospital, he ordered the strongest vaccine from India, but serpentor refused to use it, and soon recovered.
Haast often acted as a blood donor in those cases, when urgently needed to save patients from snake bites. Only through him, it saved about 20 lives. In the 1950-ies Haast donated blood to researchers from the University of Miami to develop the polio vaccine.
In the serpentarium Haast everyone had a chance to talk with snakes. It should be noted that strict safety rules were introduced after 1977 in the pit to 12-pound crocodile named Cookie fell a child of six. The incident ended with the death of a child, although this for 20 years, the crocodile no tarnished his reputation. The incident so shocked the Haast, that the next day he shot the pet.
After the incident Haast officially retired serpentarium, in fact, tourists come here until 1984.
See also: “snake Catchers”: the extraordinary life of the tribe, irula. Photo
© 2017, paradox. All rights reserved.
