All in a day's work for Florida's sole female gator trapper

TAMPA, Florida: The 2.5-meter alligator opens its jaws wide and hisses in the dark at Julie Harter, who takes a few steps closer and dangles a lasso just like the kind rodeo cowboys use.

Cornered against a chain-link fence in a suburban garbage truck parking lot, the beast issues a guttural growl, warning the lady with the rope - the only woman out of 40 or so trappers licensed by the state - to keep her distance.

The 47-year-old grandmother is used to snide, under-the-breath comments from locals and doubters when she gets out of the truck. They shut up when she hops on a big gator's back, grabs the snout and wraps it tight with black electrician's tape.