White Dot has become a well-known and beloved figure among fans for her leadership qualities. - Photo: TAN YONG LIN
SINGAPORE: A sambar deer, known for her distinctive white patch of fur on her forehead and white nose, has apparently given birth to a fawn, exciting a conservation group here which has been tracking the rare animal.
Affectionately nicknamed White Dot by wildlife-spotting enthusiasts, the deer – estimated to be 2½ years old – was first spotted visibly pregnant in December 2025, according to non-governmental organisation EcoWild Asia.
The deer is believed to have given birth around 2pm on Feb 3 near Mandai Columbarium, said EcoWild Asia.
She was later spotted with her newborn, believed to be a male, on Feb 4.
Sambar deer are listed as vulnerable – threatened with extinction – in the International Union for Conservation of Nature database.
In Singapore, about 15 of these animals are estimated to live in the wild, according to a 2021 study by the National Parks Board (NParks), and a 2023 study estimated the animal’s numbers to be growing in various forested areas.
EcoWild Asia, which has been tracking deer here since 2020, posted about White Dot’s newborn on Facebook on Feb 5.
A rare sambar deer, nicknamed White Dot, was spotted with her newborn on Feb 4. - Photo: NICHOLAS LEE
“Witnessing this (White Dot and her fawn) event is profoundly encouraging for our conservation team’s initiatives. Each successful birth bolsters the future of the sambar deer population and serves as a reminder that our forests continue to offer sanctuary to these magnificent creatures,” the group wrote in its post.
Its head of education and outreach Emma Chia said that White Dot has become a well-known and beloved figure among fans, for her physical attributes and the leadership qualities she exhibits with her herd.
The deer showed strong matriarchal behaviour from an early age and rose to the role of pack leader in less than two years, she added.
Chia said she was impressed by how White Dot could wait patiently for traffic to be clear and cross a road safely. She is also the one who decides whether her herd stays or leaves after she detects potential threats.
Upon hearing news about the birth, Chia and her team waited until 4am on Feb 5 to catch the mother and child.
“We were chatting when White Dot and her fawn suddenly showed up. When she saw us, she was so protective of her baby and kept pushing it into the bush. She didn’t let us take many photos of her baby,” she said.
Sambar deer, believed to have been wiped out in Singapore as at 1950, have been making a comeback after several escaped from private and public local zoos – including the Singapore Zoo – in the 1970s, according to the 2023 study.
Researchers found that the deer likely recolonised parts of the forests here after escaping. Its numbers are estimated to be increasing in areas such as the parts of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve near MacRitchie and Bukit Timah.
In recent years, deer have also been involved in road accidents. NParks said it receives an average of three reports a year involving vehicular-related incidents with sambar deer, including cases of non-fatal cases where the animals escape into the forest. - The Straits Times/ANN
