The Sariska Tiger Reserve is is hoping to be back on the tourism map due to the recent sighting of two cubs there. However, a host of issues haunt the reserve these days.

There is no tiger sighting and as a result, there are no tourists in Sariska, even in the peak tourist season. The pioneer project in tiger conservation, Sariska was given the status of a tiger reserve making it a part of India's Project Tiger Scheme in 1978.

Spread over 866 km, the park was more popular than the Ranthambore National Park. But today it is just turning into a wildlife graveyard. "The park management is also not at expected levels. In the recent three-day break, nearly 30 to 40 cars from Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida were seen going back daily. Leave aside foreign tourists, even domestic tourists are few at Sariska. For one, the park gates shut at 8 am and hence a day tourist just can't plan a trip in the forests.

And if they have to stay, the RTDC-run 'Tiger Den' is the most inhospitable place to stay," said a source. And adding to the tourists' woes, the forest department, like in Ranthambore National Park, allows tourists only on three designated routes. "Ranthambore model cannot be replicated in Sariska given the number of tigers and the area that the park is spread over.

The situation is pathetic. Despite the Dussehra break, there wasn't a single tourist. There is no sighting of tigers and other animals," said Dinesh Durrani, who runs a hotel here. The total number of tigers in the reserve is now seven, including five adult tigers, out of which three are females, but there is no sighting for the tourists. However, monitoring teams do report spotting of tigers.

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