05/26/2026
A member of the internet’s favorite salamander species wound up quite far from its natural habitat, but was lucky enough to be discovered by a curious kiddo who’s now rehabbing the injured creature.
Evie Hill, a 10-year-old from Leicester, England, found a critically endangered Mexican axolotl under a bridge in South Wales — the first discovery of its kind in the U.K.
Evie had been playing by the River Ogmore in Bridgend during a family vacation when she made the incredible find on April 10. She rushed to tell her mother, who was initially dubious her daughter had found an actual axolotl, believing it was more likely to be a newt or a snake.
In the wild, the exotic amphibians only remain in a single lake in Mexico City, but due to their popularity as aquarium pets they are widespread in homes around the world.
“I knew what it was straight away because I saw its gills,” Evie said. “I have seen them on YouTube on Minecraft videos and other videos showing how to look after them.”
It was lucky she had, too, because the amphibian likely wouldn’t have survived if the fifth grader hadn’t spotted it.
Read more about the rescue:
https://nicenews.com/environment/girl-finds-endangered-axolotl-uk-river/
