(Image Source: Flickr/MyFWMedia ) BY CHRISTIAN BRYANT More than 800 hunters from around the country descended on the Florida everglades this weekend, wielding weapons of choice to take care of a special, scaly circumstance. Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission organized the “Python Challenge” to help curb the population of Burmese Pythons. Hunters got temporary permission to hunt the snakes along with a little incentive. “The month-long event features prizes ranging from $1,000 for the largest python caught and if you catch the most snakes, well, you can get $1,500.” State wildlife officials say the non-native snakes have negatively affected South Florida’s ecosystem since they were first introduced in the 1980s. According to a news release, the challenge will allow research on the snake species and raise awareness about the Everglades’ ecosystem. Kill snakes. Get money. Sounds easy enough, right? Apparently that’s a lot easier said than done. A writer for The New York Daily News said, “Finding even one of the snakes — known for their blotches similar to those on a giraffe’s body — can prove difficult in the vast wetlands of South Florida. The snakes’ dark and tan colors allow them to seamlessly slither in their surroundings.” Beyond that, a writer for South Florida’s Sun-Sentinel just thinks the python hunt is a dumb idea: “The Python Challenge ... is essentially an excuse for pseudo-macho urban cowboys and assorted yahoos and redn — uh, rural hunters — to infiltrate our Everglades and try to get a few bucks for blowing the brains out of pythons. It won't do a thing to get rid of our invasive species problem.” Wildlife officials say the hunt, if successful, could be expanded to include other invasive species that are starting to establish breeding grounds in the Everglades. The Python Challenge ends at midnight Feb. 10.