Specially Trained Otter Brought in by Police in Search for Missing Woman
February 5, 2026
In an uncommon twist to a search operation, police in Pensacola, Florida, enlisted the help of Splash, a specially trained otter, in the search for a missing woman.
Splash / Peace River K9 Search and Rescue Association Inc.
Local authorities intensified their search efforts near the Mahogany Mill boat ramp on Tuesday following a tip-off about a potential body in the water. This came after the woman had been missing since Friday, causing significant concern.
However, before Splash could commence his task, positive news arrived. The woman was found safe in another location on Monday, which meant that the otter was not required to enter the water.
Splash is a unique asset in search operations. This two-year-old Asian small-clawed otter is trained to detect human remains underwater, a challenging task for traditional search teams. Officer Mike Wood of the Pensacola Police Department elaborated on Splash’s capabilities, explaining that the otter is trained to dive and release bubbles, allowing him to detect scents through taste rather than smell, a method traditional search dogs cannot utilize underwater.
“Once he gets down there he’s able to make bubbles and he goes up and he chomps on those bubbles. He gets the scent more by taste than he does smell and he’s able to show dive teams exactly where that odor’s coming from — something dogs are simply not able to do,” stated Wood.
Splash / Peace River K9 Search and Rescue Association Inc.
Splash arrived in Pensacola courtesy of Peace River Search and Rescue, a nonprofit entity based in southwest Florida. Alongside Splash, a German Shepherd trained for similar tasks was deployed, but since the dog did not alert, Splash’s services were ultimately not required.
Michael Hadsell, the president of Peace River Search and Rescue and Splash’s trainer, highlighted that Splash is the only otter trained for this kind of work, having already proven his worth in over 20 missions where he helped locate six targets. The idea for training otters like Splash stemmed from a desire to enhance recovery efforts.
Due to the increasing demand for Splash’s services, which are provided at no cost and funded by donations, there are plans to train more otters in the coming year to expand their resources for agencies in need.
