Photographer spots up to 14 sambar deer across 3 days in Gali Batu, netizens concerned about revealing location

Singapore man sees large herd of 14 sambar deer in Gali Batu, joined by sea eagle

A lucky photographer managed to spot large herds of sambar deer for three days in a row at the start of the month.

On 2 Oct, he even saw 14 of them at once, accompanied by a sea eagle.

Elusive sambar deer commonly emerge at Gali Batu to graze

60-year-old retiree Lian Yee Ming told MS News that he spotted the deer for three evenings straight.

He caught sight of them from 1 Oct to 3 Oct, between 6.30pm and 7pm, on the hills of Gali Batu.

They are elusive creatures, and spotting them is purely a matter of luck.

Mr Lian explained that he chose Gali Batu from a YouTube video about searching for sambar deer.

“They will come out of the forest to feed on grass in that area,” he claimed to MS News.

Herd of 14 sambar deer at Gali Batu is largest he has seen

On 1 Oct, he captured a large herd of nine sambar deer grazing on the hills.

The next day, Mr Lian allegedly spotted 14 sambar deer, the largest herd he had ever seen.

They were accompanied by a white-bellied sea eagle, perched on a green railing. Two red-wattled lapwings were also present.

Then, on 3 Oct, he saw a herd of six deer at the same location.

“I am happy to see them and to be able to photograph them,” he remarked about the large herds.

Netizens concerned about revealing location

His three Facebook posts gained traction on the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook group. The photos of the 14 deer, in particular, received over 1,300 likes.

Several wildlife enthusiasts in the group expressed delight at the “thriving” local wildlife.

However, many commenters were concerned that the public would go and “hunt” for them.

They urged Mr Lian to remove the location from his posts.

“I have been telling them not to worry about the deer, as they are on high ground in a protected area,” Mr Lian told MS News.

He added that he was observing them from 400 to 500 metres away.

Also read: S’pore couple fulfils goal of photographing sambar deer together, surprised by sudden appearance of herd

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Featured image adapted from Lian Yee Ming on Facebook and Facebook.