A star tortoise, nearly three kilos in weight was found in Thanjavur on Tuesday. Nirmala, a resident of Seethanagar on Nanjikottai road stumbled upon the rare species of reptile at the entrance of her house.
The tortoise drew quite a crowd from the neighbourhood, many of whom had gathered in large numbers to look at the distinct patterns on its shell.
The forest department was duly informed. Parthasarathy, forest guard who came and took the animal to forest office said it should be protected under the Forest Act as it is an endangered species and comes under scheduled list of animals.
