City rat snakes.

I've been riding a bike path a long a river in Taipei city Taiwan, for the past 5 years on a regular basis, and the amount of snakes I come across is mind boggling, when I first started riding the bike path was seldom used, toward the end of last year biking started becoming a craze, this year there is hundreds of people on bikes during the week and thousands on weekends. I've been on the bike path every warm day, after work since summer has started, looking for snakes, anyway I'm finding them but not live any more dead. Today I was about 5 min too late to save a 7ft king rat snake. some dude broke a branch off a tree and killed it.
I wish there was more I could do to help this population of snakes, as they are getting brutally whipped out. I feel powerless to help My Chinese isn't good and every one I speak to doesn't care.

Wow Craig I know what you mean. I stopped a guy here in VA from killing a black rat snake near a local lake. I asked him why he wanted to kill the snake in a polite manner and he said "because rattle snakes kill people man!". I informed him that it was a black rat snake and not a rattle snake and he said "what are you a snake expert or something?". I said I am not really an expert but I know that is not a rattle snake and picked it up and he almost fainted. My point is, people don't really care to learn about them and assume all snakes are venomous and dangerous. Being in a foreign country is even worse because you cant talk to them and educate them. I am in the army and rescued many a Korean rat snakes from demise while I was stationed there....

Speaking of city rats, anyone near Springfield, VA and know of any good rat snake "hang outs"? Not really looking to do any collecting just like to see them in the wild and take pictures.