CLEVELAND — University Circle is Cleveland's destination for history, culture, arts and wonders of nature. It's also where you may run into Officer Kelly Gabriel on any given weekday.
"This area is just beautiful. With all the museums, the nature. It's very unusual they have something like this in the middle of a city," Gabriel said.
The Northeast Ohio native joined the force in 1997. Much of her career with the University Circle Police Department, she has spent patrolling the grounds around Wade Oval, getting to know the people and smaller inhabitants.
Once she saw someone feeding the squirrels near the Botanical Gardens, Gabriel knew she'd have to join in.
"I was like, 'Oh, that's neat! I want to try that,'" she said.
We spent about an hour with her as she canvased the walkway. The squirrels came running. At one time, nine circled us, waiting for seconds.
Social media accounts for University Circle Police are filled with her adventures — which are not limited to providing snacks for squirrels. She also keeps tabs on other wildlife and performs rescues when needed.
Such was the case when a heron got too close to a snapping turtle in the lagoon. Cleveland Museum of Natural History employees got the turtle to let go of the heron's leg, and Gabriel waded out to help safely secure the bird, which needed some medical attention.
Officer Gabriel's kindness extends not only to animals. Her actions serve as a bridge to the community.
"People who probably normally wouldn't talk to police officers, come up and we talk and they just see, you know, I'm a person and you can talk to me," Gabriel said. "And yeah, you have a shared interest."
So, how did Gabriel get the nickname? Her police chief bestowed it — not as a joke, or to tease, but as a term of endearment and respect — for the animal whisperer of University Circle.
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