In the early morning hours of June 17, an adult male sambar deer wandered into the portion of Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) going to the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) and caused a vehicular accident involving a motorcycle, a car and a taxi.
The accident left the deer badly injured, and he was later put down by veterinarians at Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS).
The police have launched an investigation of the accident. This is not the first time that a sambar deer has been involved in an accident on roads in Singapore.
Sambar or “sambaur” deer are classified as “vulnerable,” since there are fewer and fewer of their species to be found. This particular deer was 120kg, and adult males of the species can weigh as heavy as 240kg and reach up to 2.7m in height. Their habitat is the forested areas of the Indian subcontinent.
The taxi driver involved in the accident also sustained some injuries.
The accident occurred when a motorcyclist swerved to avoid hitting the deer. Because of this, the taxi and car drivers behind him were forced to use their emergency brakes, ending up in a collision.
After 5:00 am, both a wildlife rescue team from the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) as well as the police responded to emergency calls after the accident.
The taxi driver, a 46-year-old male, was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, where he received treatment for cuts on his head, while the deer was brought to the Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) animal hospital.
The deer was seen unable to move his hind legs, and was euthanized at 8:00am. Doctors determined that the injuries the deer had sustained were too grave, noting the fractures in his hind legs, in addition to several abrasions and wounds on its body.