"I caught it and brought it back," said Evie of the axolotl, spotted while visiting Wales with her mom
Credit: Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Evie, 10, discovered a rare axolotl while playing near a river in Wales
- Axolotls are critically endangered amphibians native to Mexico, making this the first known wild sighting in the U.K.
- Experts believe the axolotl was abandoned by its owner and credit Evie with saving its life
A young girl was told by her mom that axolotls were "not real" until one day she surprisingly spotted the endangered amphibian under a bridge.
Evie, 10, was spending the day with her mother, Melanie Hill, near the River Ogmore in Bridgend, Wales, when she found the axolotl hiding under a discarded mat, according to the BBC.
"I went down to the bank and there was this axolotl there," Evie recalled to the outlet. "I caught it and brought it back."
Credit: Getty
Evie had been playing in the water under the "Dipping Bridge" when she spotted the injured creature.
"The kids were down at the water … and suddenly everything changed," Melanie told the BBC. "You can imagine my surprise, I couldn't believe it."
Melanie decided to let Evie bring the axolotl — the young girl named Dippy — back to their home in Leicester, England. They "spent hours" studying how to care for the creature, as Melanie didn't realize they "could grow that big."
"We've got a much bigger tank and we plan to get that set up so it can be transferred," Melanie told the BBC.
Typically, an axolotl measures between six and 18 inches, according to PBS. It is a type of salamander that is aquatic and can regenerate parts of its body.
They are typically found in Mexico's Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco, making Evie's discovery in Wales incredibly rare. According to the BBC, it is the first known wild sighting of an axolotl in the U.K., while only 50 to 1,000 are believed to remain globally.
Melanie and Evie spoke to experts who confirmed that they could keep the creature.
"I've been telling Evie all this time that those creatures she watches on YouTube, they're not real," Melanie told the BBC, adding that she's still in disbelief as her daughter is "always finding things" like bugs outside.
"Here I am with one in my kitchen," said Melanie.
Chris Newman, director of the National Center for Reptile Welfare (NCRW), explained that Evie likely found an axolotl abandoned by its owner due to a "change in circumstances."
He said, "First of all, it's illegal to release a non-native species into the wild — and it's not good from a welfare point of view either," and that Evie finding it likely saved its life. "That itself is no mean feat. They're quite slippery, so I think she did really well."
"This is a quite a unique situation, and I think the young female has a keen eye to actually spot it," Newman added. "I think she did remarkably to find him."
Any additional discoveries of axolotls in the U.K. should be reported through organizations like NCRW.
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As for where Dippy is now, Evie is enjoying spending time with the axolotl, and sharing her discovery with her friends at school.
She said, "Everybody at school is fascinated about the story of Dippy."
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