SINGAPORE - Several wild deer of the rare sambar species were spotted at the side of the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) on Nov 29.

In a video posted to the SG Road Vigilante Facebook page on the same day, the herd of about three deer are seen on the forested edge of the road, behind a guard rail, as a car approaches them.

A male deer is seen grazing on the grass in front of the guard rail. Noticing the incoming car, the deer then hops over the railing to join the rest of the herd.

It is unknown what time and at which part of the BKE the video was filmed.

The video is also circulating via Whatsapp, accompanied by a message warning drivers to be alert when passing by the Mandai area. Both the video and message have been marked as “forwarded many times” on the app.

The sambar deer, which has the scientific name Rusa unicolor, is currently listed as a vulnerable species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. This means the animal is considered to be at high risk of extinction in the wild, according to the IUCN website.

According to the National Parks Board (NParks) website, the animal is among the largest deer species in the world, though its origin is not known.

Living in small herds, it mostly inhabits wooded habitats such as forests and is most active at dusk and at night.

But the animal tends to feed extensively on plants that grow in more open areas, such as grasses and other herbaceous plants, said mamma...