London- A Mexican axolotl, a critically endangered species, has appeared by surprise under a bridge over the Ogmore River, in Welshfound by a 10-year-old girl.
The girl Evie, who was with her family from Leicester camping in the area, He was playing on the bank of the river when he saw a small animal that caught his attention and was taking refuge among the stones on the bank, apparently injured in the tail and belly.
He picked it up and discovered that it was a pale-skinned axolotl, about 20 centimeters long. Excited, she showed him to her parents, who – even more excited – cut short their vacation to immediately return to Leicester, 250 kilometers away, with their new pet, according to the story today. BBC.
The family has already named him Dippy, in memory of the place where he was found (the so-called Dipping Bridge, or submerged bridge).
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The director of the National Reptile Aid Centre, Chris Newman, told the BBC that Evie probably saved the axolotl’s life. For nowthe axolotl will remain in the hands of its “discoverer” while it is decided what to do with a creature so strange to the British environment.
The girl is a wildlife fan and spends hours watching animal videos, her mother told the BBC. “I’ve been telling Evie for a long time that those creatures she sees on YouTube aren’t real. And here I am with one of them in my kitchen!” the mother exclaimed.
Axolotls have become popular in recent years thanks to their appearance in the Minecraft game in 2021which may explain why Evie easily identified the small animal.
It is not clear how such a delicate and endangered creature, with a natural habitat reduced to a small part of Mexicohas been able to reach a river in a rural area of Great Britain.