Blink and you’ll miss it: Rare mousedeer spotted at Pasir Ris Park at 3am
A rare sighting at Pasir Ris Park left one Stomper excited — and a little amazed.
Stomper Lakshmi said she spotted a mousedeer on April 14 at about 3am.
“I think it’s a living fossil species and quite rare,” she told Stomp. “I thought it would be a cool thing for Singaporeans to know about.”
She added that it was her first time seeing one in the wild.
She shared a video showing the animal sprinting away from her as she calls out, “Hello!”
The Stomper had likely spotted a lesser mousedeer, one of the world’s smallest known hoofed animals.
According to the National Parks Board (NParks), the native species is usually found in the mature forests of the Central Catchment and Bukit Timah Nature Reserves. While largely solitary, it can be spotted in pairs. It feeds on leaves, shoots, fungi and fallen fruit.
While there were fewer than 50 lesser mousedeer in Singapore in the 1990s, there are now about 160 to 200 thanks to intensive reforestation and habitat enhancement efforts under the NParks Nature Conservation Masterplan, as well as increased support from the scientific and nature community.
Previously classified as critically endangered in Singapore, it is now listed as endangered locally.
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