An injured axolotl is on the road to recovery after being rescued from a river in Wales. “Dippy” was found under the Dipping Bridge on the River Ogmore near Bridgend, south Wales, by a family who had stopped for a break while travelling on holiday last week.
Evie Hill, 10, lifted up a discarded mat in the shallows of the river, and nestled in the rocks was a 9in (22cm) axolotl, an aquatic salamander native to Mexico. It was pale in colour, with speckles, and had injuries to its tail and stomach believed to have been caused by a predator, the BBC reported.
Wild axolotls, which resemble a cross between a fish and a lizard, are found only in Lake Xochimilco near Mexico City and are considered critically endangered. The species’ popularity as pets, however, has exploded in recent years owing to their exposure on TikTok, Instagram and video games such as Minecraft and Roblox.
Speaking to BBC News, Evie said: “I went down to the bank and there was this thing with gills on its head. I was like: ‘That’s an axolotl.’ I was: ‘Mum, there’s an axolotl in the river.’ She went: ‘There’s not. You’re not going back in the water.’ So I went back in the water anyway, because I’d seen it. And then I caught it and brought it back.”
Dippy’s journey to recovery at their Leicester home in a fish tank is being documented on TikTok, with its adoptive family questioning whether it had been abandoned by a pet owner.
Evie’s mother, Melanie, told the BBC her daughter was “always finding” creatures such as newts and bugs, but the axolotl discovery was a surprise. After seeking expert advice, the family were told they are allowed to keep the axolotl at home.
Axolotls were one of the inspirations for Toothless the dragon in the 2010 film How to Train Your Dragon. In 2020, the video game Fortnite released Axo, an axolotl character, and the following year Minecraft introduced axolotls and a bucket to carry them in.
The amphibians have regenerative power and can regrow tissue. If they lose their tail, they can grow a new spinal cord within a new tail.
Discoveries of creatures like Dippy should be reported to the government through organisations such as the National Centre for Reptile Welfare. Its director, Chris Newman, said if it had not been rescued, the axolotl had little chance of living very long, so Evie “did him a real favour”.
According to pet care websites, axolotls are relatively easy to keep as pets with proper research and understanding of their unique needs. Properly cared for, they are hardy and can live for more than 10 years. They require a setup similar to fish but with specific modifications, including a secure lid to prevent escapes as they can climb.
The water temperature should be kept cool, ideally between 16C and 18C, as warmer water causes stress and health risks. It is illegal to release them into the wild.
