Beautiful and rare sambar deer greets Stomper at Bukit Panjang park connector

A Stomper was enchanted when he unexpectedly chanced upon a rare sambar deer while walking along the Bukit Panjang park connector on Thursday night (Aug 25).

Stomper Shafiq said he encountered the wild animal at about 9.30pm while he was taking his usual walk along the jogging track at Segar, near the highway.

"I just saw this beautiful animal at the right place where the light was shining on it," he said.

"It was there looking at me for probably 15 seconds before disappearing into the bushes.

"I wonder how this tiny red dot has been able to sustain such animals, it's remarkable."

Sambar deer sightings are rare because these creatures are very shy and are most active at dusk and at night.

In the day, they rest in thick vegetation, making it difficult to spot them.

The sambar (Rusa unicolor) deer is one of the largest deer species in the world, after the moose and the elk. 

It is estimated that there are fewer than 20 of them in Singapore. They are classified as a vulnerable species.