On a dewy morning on May 3, 2024, Ho Chin Yeow was treading along the Lower Peirce Trail in search of langur monkeys.
Due to a morning rain shower, his mission was unfortunately to no avail.
Ready to call it a day, he headed to the exit, when the sound of rustling leaves along the path made him pause in his tracks.
A pleasant surprise
Ho approached the bushes, anticipating a junglefowl, a typical resident of the park.
To his surprise, there was no junglefowl.
Instead, a female lesser mousedeer was gracefully munching on some fruit.
Photo courtesy of Ho
Shortly then came a second surprise.
A baby mousedeer "hopped" over to its mother in sprightly steps.
Photo courtesy of Ho
Speaking to Mothership, Ho described the baby mousedeer to be "rather active and liked to run about".
Excited to come face to face with a mousedeer for the first time, Ho gingerly took some shots with his camera while the mousedeer duo looked calmly and curiously into his camera.
It was not long after that a pair of park-goers came over to admire the lovely sight, taking pictures with their handphones.
Noticing the growing commotion, the mother and child pair shyly scurried away.
"I was very excited as I had not seen them in real life before, only in articles," Ho added.
Lesser mousedeer
According to the National Parks Board (NParks), the lesser mousedeer is one of the world's smallest known hoofed animals.
It is distinguished by its reddish brown underparts and three distinct white stripes under its neck.
Due to its meek nature, the lesser mousedeer is largely solitary, although sometimes spotted in pairs.
It feeds on leaves, fungi and fallen fruits.
NParks states that a new study has shown a four-fold increase in the lesser mousedeer population locally — a positive result of intensive reforestation and habitat enhancement efforts.
Previously classified as "Critically Endangered" in Singapore, the lesser mousedeer is now listed as "Endangered" locally, according to the Singapore Red Data Book.
Top photo courtesy of Ho Chin Yeow