Splash, a 2-year-old Asian small-clawed otter, is cute and full of personality, but he’s also an agile swimmer who can hold his breath for up to eight minutes and detect objects in low-visibility, murky or debris-filled conditions. It’s those characteristics that prompted Michael Hadsell to test the animal’s capability in retrieving evidence lost underwater.

As president of Peace River K9 Search & Rescue (PRSAR), a Florida nonprofit that assists in searching for missing persons, Hadsell has seen firsthand how blackwater conditions hamper search dives. Inspired by watching otters assist Thai fishermen to corral fish, Hadsell began developing a program to train the mammals to aid law enforcement. 

After obtaining Splash from a zoo about a year and a half ago, Hadsell began the process by submerging canisters containing human remains into kiddie pools. It turns out that not only can otters sniff out odors underwater using bubbles, but their super-sensitive whiskers operate like a sonar system to help locate objects in conditions that are too inhibiting for humans or dogs. 

When Splash encounters something, he swims back to Hadsell, who then follows the creature to the site. To date, Splash has racked up nine total recoveries that involved two pieces of criminal evidence and seven sets of human remains. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd enlisted Hadsell and Splash earlier this year in a water search for a missing person; however, nothing suspicious was indicated that day.

Hadsell acknowledges this unorthodox approach needs more time for testing and thorough documentation to determine whether otters are a viable option for law enforcement, especially if the results will be presented in court cases.

“We want to set it up right and do it right, so that when we get into court, the cases are not blown up because there is an otter working on the cases,” he told Fox 13 News. 

When they’re not working, Hadsell explained to WUSF in Tampa that Splash likes to cuddle up with his search dogs. “He’s just part of the team now,” he says.