An aggressive alligator growled and hissed at cops as they struggled to wrangle it in a residential neighborhood. The angry gator did not go quietly after being found roaming the streets of Tampa, Florida, in the early hours of Wednesday this week.

It sent out a clear warning for officers from Tampa Police Department and wildlife officials to back off as they surrounded it. But after circling the fearsome reptile for a few minutes, an officer managed to get a rope around its powerful jaws. With the rope secure, the officer jumped on the gator from behind, holding its jaws shut before its eyes were covered to help calm it down. Once the gator’s jaws were taped firmly shut, it was transported by a trapper contracted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

In Florida, nuisance alligators are defined as being over 4 feet long and considered a threat to people, pets, or property. According to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report on the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, or SNAP, issued on February 21, the state has 113 contracted nuisance alligator trappers that respond to 10,000 calls for service annually.

At that time, contracted trappers received a $30 stipend per alligator from the FWC, a figure that has since been raised for the first time in nearly 20 years to $50. The nuisance alligator becomes the trapper’s property to sell for hide or meat or to sell live to a zoo or farm.