S'pore woman stumbles on sambar deer in Thomson Nature Park just metres away, snaps pics with her iPhone

A Singapore woman was on a hike at Thomson Nature Park when she accidentally stumbled upon a family of four sambar deer.

"[They were] very close to me, perhaps just about 15 feet (4.5 metres) away!" said Emma Robertson Chia, a wildlife enthusiast.

She added that she'd been on the trail looking for snakes when she saw them grazing "right by the path in full sunlight".

"I had to internalise a little gasp of disbelief and excitement," she told Mothership.

Grazing

After spotting them initially, she "stood very still" and observed their demeanour.

The doe appeared relaxed and continued grazing, but the male looked at her and sniffed the air "to check [her out]".

"We just watched each other for a number of minutes, until he relaxed and started grazing again," Chia said.

She then took out her iPhone and snapped a few shots of the animals, while "trying to stay perfectly still".

She remained there for about seven minutes until the deer left.

"It was at this point that I realised there were four, one male and three female I believe," she recalled.

"It felt an absolute privilege to have such an incredible encounter... I was so elated and emotional once they left."

Chia added that it was the first time she'd had an encounter with wild sambar deer in Singapore.

Steer clear

While thrilled at her close encounter, Chia — who volunteers to do public outreach on coexisting with wildlife under the Our Wild Neighbours campaign — said she remained "very much aware" that the deer were large, wild animals.

She advised members of the public to keep their distance from the animals if possible, and to remain still and quiet.

Native to Singapore, sambar deer were once believed extinct in Singapore due to poaching and habitat loss.

The species resurfaced in the 1970s, and are believed to be the progeny of escapees from the Singapore Zoo.

It is currently listed as a vulnerable species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Top image from @emmarobertsonchia/Instagram