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Thought to be extinct in Singapore after World War II due to hunting and deforestation, the sambar deer was not seen again until the 1970s in Mandai.
Over the past five years, its population rebounded from 15 to 120. The shy nocturnal animal typically emerges after dark to graze, roaming across five forest zones.
Volunteers from the Save Sambar Deer initiative track them through camera traps, nightly observations and headcounts, profiling each deer through unique identifiers such as scars, antlers, colouration and body size.
With no natural predators in Singapore, conservationists warn the growing population may eventually lead to conflict, disease and imbalance.
As numbers are expected to keep growing, population management options such as contraceptives, sterilisation and relocation abroad could be considered.