Rare sambar deer dies after accident involving van on KJE

SINGAPORE – A sambar deer died after an accident involving a van on an expressway on the night of Aug 30.

The police said on Sept 1 that they were alerted to an accident on the KJE towards BKE at around 8.20pm that day.

The 68-year-old male van driver is assisting with investigations, police added.

A video posted in a Telegram group showed a video of the deer on the ground, with glass shards surrounding it.

The Telegram user who posted the video, 23-year-old student Chiew Yeli, said that the deer was still alive, although “bleeding from the mouth” at around 8.10pm.

Chiew said she tried to steer oncoming traffic away from the injured deer using her phone’s flashlight, and was assisted by a motorist, as well as an elderly couple.

By around 9pm, when emergency workers arrived and told her she could leave the scene, the deer appeared to have died, she said.

In a media reply on Sept 1, How Choon Beng, NParks’ group director of wildlife management, said that the deer was found dead when the NParks team arrived on site, and its carcass has since been removed.

The driver was not injured, while the vehicle sustained some damage.

“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,” How said.

How added that the public should not handle injured wild animals on their own.

Sambar deer are listed as vulnerable – threatened with extinction – in the International Union for Conservation of Nature database.

An NParks study in 2021 estimated that there were about 15 sambar deer in Singapore and a 2023 study estimated the animal’s numbers to be growing in various forested areas.

Chiew said she hoped signs could be put up along the stretch of road warning motorists to slow down, given deer sightings in the area are frequent.

To report wildlife that needs rescue, call NParks at 1800-476-1600.