Girl, 10, finds rare Mexican axolotl under Welsh bridge
Oscar Edwards,BBC Walesand Niki Cardwell
A nature-loving 10-year-old girl who found an endangered amphibian under a bridge has left her mum in "shock, surprise and disbelief".
Melanie Hill said her daughter, Evie, discovered the nine-inch Mexican axolotl as they spent the day near the River Ogmore in Bridgend.
She said Evie was "always finding things" like newts and bugs, but said the axolotl discovery was a surprise.
It is the first documented discovery of an axolotl in the wild in the UK with only 50 to 1,000 left globally, according to experts.
Axolotls as pets have seen a surge in popularity in recent years after they were introduced to video games such as Minecraft and Roblox.
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Evie spotted the axolotl nestled in the rocks after lifting up a discarded mat in the shallows of the River Ogmore.
She was playing in the water under the "Dipping Bridge" at the entrance to Merthyr Mawr village when she noticed the creature had damage to its tail and stomach.
"I went down to the bank and there was this axolotl there," said Evie. "I caught it and brought it back."
Melanie said they were touring Wales in a camper van at the time and had seen people recommending the beauty spot online.
"The kids were down at the water having a nose and suddenly everything changed.
"You can imagine my surprise, I couldn't believe it," she added.
The family decided to cut their holiday short to take the axolotl back to their home in Leicester, naming it Dippy as a tribute to where Evie found it.
Chris Newman, director of the National Centre for Reptile Welfare, said Evie probably saved Dippy's life.
Melanie Hill
The find was initially not a surprise for Melanie, who said her daughter has a fascination with nature.
But it quickly dawned on her that this was not a typical find on a day trip to south Wales.
"I've been telling Evie all this time that those creatures she watches on YouTube, they're not real.
"Here I am with one in my kitchen," she said.
Melanie said she did not realise axolotls "could grow that big". They can reach 12 inches (30cm) in length but on average, grow to about 9 inches (23cm), according to experts.
Melanie said they had "spent hours" researching ways to keep the axolotl healthy and that they had "no regrets" about bringing it home.
"We've got a much bigger tank and we plan to get that set up so it can be transferred," she added.
After seeking expert advice, the family has been told they can keep the axolotl.
Dippy has also been a big hit at Evie's school.
"Everybody at school is fascinated about the story of Dippy," she said.
"I think it's really interesting."
What is an axolotl?
The axolotl is a type of salamander that does not go through metamorphosis to become an adult, according to the Natural History Museum.
Salamanders are amphibians that, like frogs and newts, start of living in water.
Typically, this type of creature will adapt as it ages, replacing water-breathing gills for air-breathing lungs that enable them to live on land.
But axolotls never make this transition, retaining their frilly external gills and living in the water for their entire lifecycle.
Like many species of salamander, they have the remarkable ability to regenerate parts of their bodies. including limbs, eyes and even parts of their brains.
'Challenging' to look after
There has been a surge in keeping axolotls as pets in recent years due to games like Minecraft and Roblox, which feature them.
The RSPCA said this was a concern as people underestimated how difficult they are to look after, meaning some owners were unable to care for the amphibian properly.
Chris Newman, the National Centre for Reptile Welfare (NCRW) director, said the manner in which Dippy was found suggested its owner had released it due to a "change in circumstances".
"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," he added.
Experts have warned axolotls should never be bought on impulse as they can "very challenging" to look after.
This is because they have the same environmental, dietary and behavioural needs in captivity as they do in the wild.
Melanie Hill
What should you do with an endangered animal?
Axolotls used to be found in abundance in Mexico but urban expansion and the decline of the chinampas - agricultural islands - have drastically reduced their habitat.
They have flourished in captivity and are commonly used as aquarium pets, zoo attractions and even feature on Mexican currency. But in the wild they are dangerously close to vanishing forever.
Discoveries like Dippy should be reported to the government through organisations such as the NCRW.
Newman said there were no recorded sightings of Mexican axolotls in the UK or the world, adding that Evie probably saved its life.
"This is a quite a unique situation, and I think the young female has a keen eye to actually spot it," he said.
"I think she did remarkably to find him."
Without her help, Newman said the axolotl had little chance of living very long, so she "did him a real favour" by catching him.
"That itself is no mean feat," he said. "They're quite slippery, so I think she did really well."
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