- A 10-year-old girl, Evie Hill, discovered a rare Mexican axolotl while playing near the River Ogmore in Bridgend, south Wales, marking the first documented sighting of the endangered amphibian in the British wild.
- Evie found the nine-inch-long axolotl under a green mat near the riverbank, and her mother initially doubted the discovery, believing it to be a common newt.
- The family cut short their holiday to take the axolotl, which Evie named Dippy, back to their home in Leicester, researching how to care for it, and the find has since fascinated her classmates.
- Chris Newman, director of the National Centre for Reptile Welfare, stated that Evie "probably saved the axolotl’s life" as it would not have survived long in the wild due to predators and already had bite marks.
- The RSPCA has expressed concern over a surge in online searches for axolotls, likely due to their inclusion in the game Minecraft, warning that these amphibians are difficult to care for and should not be impulse bought as pets.
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