On January 3, 2026, a high-stakes U.S. military operation known as Operation Absolute Resolve led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at their residence in Caracas. While the raid involved elite Delta Force units and intelligence support, an unexpected detail has emerged regarding how the family dog, Jako, inadvertently assisted investigators in tracking the leader's routines. 

Jako is a golden retriever and a prominent member of the Maduro household. Maduro has frequently featured the pet in official media, noting that Jako is the father of three puppies. 

Intelligence reports indicate that officials studied the family's pets to gain insight into Maduro's daily life. Pets are often used by intelligence agencies to reveal behavioral patterns because they follow rigid routines that are difficult for their owners to hide: 

Following the raid, Maduro and Flores were transported to a U.S. warship and then flown to New York, where they appeared in a Manhattan federal court on January 5, 2026. The current legal situation includes: 

The study of Jako reflects a broader trend in behavioral intelligence where domestic animals serve as proxies for human behavior. By monitoring a pet’s physiological cues or behavioral changes, observers can often detect a resident's stress levels or arrival times without direct contact. In high-security environments like Fort Tiuna where Maduro was captured, these "everyday" elements provide critical intelligence that bypasses traditional electronic security. 

• The Technology: Surgeons implanted a microphone in the cat's ear canal, a radio transmitter at the base of its skull, and an antenna woven into its fur and tail.
• The Mission: The cat was meant to eavesdrop on high-level targets, such as Soviet officials, by wandering unnoticed into restricted areas or near park benches.
• The Outcome: The project cost an estimated $20 million (roughly $150–$180 million today). During its first field test in Washington, D.C., the cat was reportedly struck and killed by a taxi moments after being released. The program was cancelled in 1967 because cats proved too difficult to control when they were hungry or distracted. 

• Pigeon Cameras: In the 1970s, the CIA developed a tiny, lightweight camera that could be strapped to a pigeon’s chest.
• Detailed Intel: Unlike satellites or U-2 spy planes that took photos from thousands of feet up, pigeons could fly within hundreds of feet of a target, providing highly detailed imagery of sensitive Soviet facilities.
• Reconnaissance Birds: Other projects involved training hawks or crows to carry cameras to specific windows or radar installations, though these often faced logistical hurdles like wildlife protection laws. 

• Mine Detection: Dolphins use their natural echolocation to find and mark underwater mines that electronic sensors might miss.
• Intruder Interception: Sea lions have been trained to carry "leg-cuffs" in their mouths; if they find a suspicious diver, they can press the cuff onto the person’s leg, allowing sailors on the surface to pull the intruder up by an attached rope.
• Beluga Whales: In 2019, a beluga whale found off the coast of Norway wearing a Russian-labeled harness (dubbed "Hvaldimir") led to widespread speculation that it was a trained guard or surveillance whale for the Russian Navy. 

• Insectothopter: In the 1970s, the CIA created a miniature UAV shaped like a dragonfly. It was intended to carry a listening device, but the prototype was too light to fly in crosswinds over 5 mph.
• Dead Drop Rats: During the Cold War, the CIA used hollowed-out rat carcasses to hide money, messages, or film at "dead drop" locations. To stop stray cats from stealing the "dead rats," they doused the carcasses in wormwood oil.
• Terrorist-Fighting Gerbils: In the 1970s, MI5 considered using gerbils at airport security to detect high levels of adrenaline in passengers. The plan was scrapped because the gerbils couldn't tell the difference between a terrorist and someone who was simply afraid of flying.
• Bomb-Sniffing Bees: Researchers have trained honeybees to recognize the scent of explosives; when they detect a target odor, they flick their proboscises (feeding organs) in unison, which can be monitored by video software.