Endangered tortoise found wandering next to road

An endangered sulcata tortoise was found wandering next to a road in Thailand.

The grassland reptile was shuffling in the tall grass when it was spotted by postman Pariwat Chumpla, 31, as he was making a delivery in Chonburi province on 18 December.

He pulled over and called the police as he believed the animal was expensive.

Officers went to the scene and found a crowd gathered around the large tortoise, which is believed to be a lucky omen.

A man claiming to be the neighbour of the tortoise’s owner later arrived to pick it up and bring it home.

Though sulcata tortoises are popular pets, they are classified as endangered under the IUCN Red List.