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 December 18.

The motorist pulled over and called police officers as he believed the animal was expensive.

The cops went to the scene and found a crowd gathered around the large tortoise, which was 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.

Pariwat said: 'The tortoise could have cost hundreds of thousands of baht. Someone came by to retrieve it, saying they knew its owner who was in Bangkok. I feel lucky to have encountered such an auspicious tortoise.'

The sulcata tortoise, also known as the African spurred tortoise, is the third-largest tortoise species in the world after the Galapagos tortoise and Aldabra giant tortoise. It can easily grow more than 30 inches long and over 220 lbs in weight.

It is native to the Sahara Desert, with its habitat ranging across arid areas including Mali, Senegal, and Ethiopia. They thrive on grass and succulent plants, and make burrows in the ground to keep warm during the hottest days.

Though sulcata tortoises are popular pets, they are classified as endangered under the IUCN Red List, which cites habitat modification, desertification, and international pet trade as the main threats to its population.