Source: Andrew Koh on Facebook & Facebook
On 5 Jan, a wildlife enthusiast in Singapore came across a pair of sambar deer in Mandai.
58-year-old civil servant Andrew YL Koh told MS News that he encountered the animals during his first hike of 2025.
Mr Koh was travelling along the Mandai T15 Trail and keeping an eye out for deer.
As luck would have it, he heard the rustling of some leaves nearby.
A short clip he recorded showed a female deer, or doe, cautiously peeking out from the forest near a restricted area sign.
Source: Andrew Koh on Facebook
After glancing at Mr Koh, the doe hurried across the hiking trail like it were a person dashing across a busy road.
Source: Andrew Koh on Facebook
Following closely behind it was a male deer, or stag, with a set of antlers on its head.
Source: Andrew Koh on Facebook
The two deer then quickly vanished into the forest on the other side.
According to Mr Koh, the deer had been waiting for a good opportunity to cross the path while avoiding cyclists.
“After they crossed back, they proceeded up a slight hill to return home,” he said.
Mr Koh said he had been hiking and spotting wildlife since 2019. However, the sambar deer captured his interest in 2022 when he realised the difficulty of getting to see one.
Source: Andrew Koh on Facebook
Sambar deer were once thought to have gone extinct in Singapore, with their population slowly recovering.
Since then, Mr Koh has been looking out for them, telling MS News that he has had more than 60 sightings of deer.
Despite his numerous encounters, Mr Koh said that each experience was “rejuvenating and exhilarating”.
He described the wild animals as unpredictable and always “a sight to behold”.
Mr Koh said to MS News that the area had upwards of 30 deer, so he could not be sure if he had seen the doe and stag pair before.
Previously in Dec 2024, he had spotted a doe and its fawn.
Source: Andrew Koh on Facebook
“Very heartening to see them doing so well, a generation nurturing the next,” he said about the endangered animals in a Facebook post.
He hoped they could become a regular sight for hikers within the following decade.
Also read: Herd of sambar deer seen grazing alongside BKE, they leave after car approaches
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Featured image adapted from Andrew Koh on Facebook and Facebook.
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