At the zoo, a cheerful little girl played with an otter, laughing as she stroked its soft, wet fur. People gathered around, smiling at the heartwarming scene — a child and an animal bonding so naturally. The otter swam up to her, placed its tiny paws on the rock, and leaned close as she giggled, “Mom, look! It likes me!” Even her parents couldn’t help but laugh at her excitement. But then, something changed. The otter suddenly stopped playing. It circled her feet in the water, brushed against he

Splash, a 2-year-old Asian small-clawed otter from Florida, has joined search and rescue teams as the nation’s first trained otter assisting in locating missing persons in bodies of water. | NBC 7 San Diego