Endangered animal rescued thousands of miles from home, and now it’s a pet

A young girl in Wales saved a rare Mexican axolotl and is now caring for it as a pet.

Seeing endangered animals is unusual. You might need to go on wildlife expeditions and get lucky, or visit a zoo or sanctuary dedicated to protecting these species.

Ten-year-old Evie Hill made an amazing discovery while on vacation in Wales with her family. The Hill family, from Leicester, England, were surprised to find a rare Mexican axolotl – a creature normally found thousands of miles away – hiding under a bridge.

Evie’s mom, Melanie, told the BBC they were completely shocked by what Evie had discovered. Evie has even been posting videos about their new axolotl, named Dippy, on TikTok.

Rare axolotl found in Wales is now called Dippy

A 10-year-old discovered an axolotl with injuries to its tail and belly and saved it from beneath an old mat.

The Hill family ended their vacation early to take the axolotl home and figure out how to care for it. Melanie Hill told the BBC she spent a long time researching the rare creature, with estimates suggesting only 50 to 1000 axolotls remain.

We have a larger tank now and are working on getting it ready for Evie, as her classmates are really interested in the animal.

Chris Newman, from the National Centre for Reptile Welfare, praised the 10-year-old for doing a “remarkable” job finding and saving the endangered animal, according to a BBC report.

“That itself is no mean feat. They’re quite slippery, so I think she did really well,” Newman said.

Several animal species that were once at risk of extinction are now recovering, like the leopard cats seen in the game Ghost of Tsushima.

Researchers recently discovered seven new animal species in a Cambodian cave, including three different kinds of geckos.

2026-04-23 15:49

Rare axolotl found in Wales is now called Dippy

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