Just came across this old thread. How awesome you saved the snake - are you still his proud owner? Did you ever get to take him home?
Between the Old Testament, Disney's portrayal of evil talking snakes, and Hollywood movies (where they superimpose cat hissing sounds onto snakes), people are generally biased against snakes. It's a miracle someone didn't kill it with a shovel before you could rescue it. Hope things are still going well!