Rare sambar deer spotted grazing along BKE

Several wild deer of the rare sambar species were spotted at the side of the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) on Nov 29.

In a video posted to the SG Road Vigilante Facebook page on the same day, the herd of about three deer is seen on the forested edge of the road, behind a guard rail, as a car approaches them.

A male deer is seen grazing on the grass in front of the guard rail. Noticing the incoming car, the deer then hops over the railing to join the rest of the herd.

It is unknown what time and at which part of the BKE the video was filmed.

The video is also circulating via WhatsApp, accompanied by a message warning drivers to be alert when passing by the Mandai area. Both the video and message have been marked as “forwarded many times” on the app.

The sambar deer, which has the scientific name Rusa unicolor, is currently listed as a vulnerable species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. This means the animal is considered to be at high risk of extinction in the wild, according to the IUCN website.

The species’ origin is not known.

In response to queries, Mr How Choon Beng, group director of wildlife management at the National Parks Board (NParks), said the agency is closely monitoring the sambar deer population and its range, which includes the forested areas along the BKE. 

Mr How said the animal is among the largest deer species in the world, after the moose and the elk.

“In Singapore, it is most active at dusk and at night, resting in the day among thick vegetation,” he added.

Living in small herds, it mostly inhabits wooded habitats such as forests.

But the animal tends to feed extensively on plants that grow in more open areas, such as grasses and other herbaceous plants, said mammal expert Marcus Chua from the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.

“That could be one of the reasons why they are attracted to graze in forest edges,” he said, adding that such areas in Singapore sometimes happen to be next to expressways.

Mr How said: “Motorists should drive within speed limits and be alert to animals crossing when driving along roads flanked by forested areas, especially where there are signs to indicate animal crossings.”

Mr Chua echoed the advice, adding that motorists should be careful especially while driving through such areas at night.

Mr How said people should remain calm and quiet, and not make any sudden movements should they encounter a sambar deer.

They should also avoid approaching or feeding the animal, and instead keep a safe distance.

“Do not corner or provoke the animal, such as by using flash photography while taking pictures of it,” he added.

This is not the first time sambar deer have been spotted near roads in 2024.

In July, a sambar deer was found dead after an accident involving a taxi in Mandai Road. A herd of around seven deer was also spotted grazing openly near the BKE on Jan 1.

In 2021, an NParks study estimated that there were around 15 wild sambar deer in Singapore.

However, a separate study in 2023 found that the deer had been making a comeback after several escaped from public and private local zoos in the 1970s. The animal was previously believed to have been wiped out in Singapore as at 1950.

The study, by 24 international researchers across institutions such as the University of Queensland and Nanyang Technological University, said the species’ numbers were estimated to be growing in various forested areas, including parts of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve near MacRitchie and Bukit Timah.