Martin County Sheriff’s Office in Florida hosted the first-ever search and rescue recovery otter in the Untied States, an adorable 2-year-old named Splash. The office hosted the animal and his trainer and owner, Michael Hadsell, from Peace River K9 Search and Rescue, a Southwest Florida–based nonprofit organization.
Splash is an Asian small-clawed otter trained in scent detection and recovery work. Those skills could one day help the agency locate individuals lost in bodies of water, using his sharp senses and specialized training in the world of search and recovery.
“We were all extremely excited to welcome Splash and Mr. Hadsell to MCSO, where Splash impressed our Detectives and Crime Scene Unit with a presenation highlighting his one-of-a-kind recovery skills.” – Martin County Sheriff’s Office
It isn’t clear whether or not Splash will become a permanent part of the search and rescue unit, but his training is a unique push toward innovation in recovery operations. Splash was able to impress the detectives with his impressive recovery skills.
