When tourists travel to the sea, they typically expect to encounter a variety of fish and other marine creatures.
However, a group of tourists in the Bali Strait were in for a surprising and entirely unexpected experience.
From a distance, the tourists initially mistook the sight of a flickering tail for that of a dolphin, only to be astounded when they realised they were actually witnessing two deer swimming in the open water.
While this moment was certainly shocking, it is not entirely unprecedented, as similar occurrences have been reported in the past.
The video of this rare sight quickly went viral, sparking numerous comments and discussions from viewers around the world, fascinated by the unusual sight of deer swimming in the sea.
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“The deer is an excellent swimmer..so don’t worry,” wrote a netizen.
“(The deer) not carried away by the current, deer are good at swimming in the sea, it is said that the story of deer crossing the ocean from Sulawesi to Kalimantan,” wrote another netizen.
As reported by Live Science, deer can swim and certain species such as the Great Deer can even hold their breath in the water for several minutes.
Deer crossing the sea is a normal behaviour. Deer from West Bali National Park (TNBB) frequently crossed to Menjangan Island in the past.
Deer in West Bali National Park Cross the Ocean
Deer in West Bali National Park are used to swimming across the ocean.
As reported by Detik, Head of the TNBB Centre Agus Ngurah Krisna Kepakisan revealed that some deer on Menjangan Island even crossed the ocean to get water in the Berumbun Bay area.
“Menjangan (deer) on Menjangan Island have crossed the sea because there is no water there. Bali starlings also often come to the habitual enclosure.
“Some Menjangan (deer) on Menjangan Island cross the sea because there is no water there. Bali starlings also often come to the habituation cage to eat and look for water,” Krishna said.
On the other hand, the well-known news outlet Kompas has also reported on this unusual phenomenon.
According to Gebyar Andiono, the Head of Administration at TNBB, deer typically seek mates or follow the scent of other deer on nearby islands when venturing into the water.
However, Andiono emphasised that, while such behaviour is not entirely uncommon, it is extremely rare for deer to swim across the Bali Strait from Bali to the island of Java, making this particular occurrence even more remarkable.
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