Wildlife advocates have appealed to Rajasthan’s Forest and Environment Minister Sanjay Sharma to shift the Sariska Tiger Reserve’s (STR) weekly closure from Wednesdays to Tuesdays, citing the heavy human disturbance caused by visitors to the Pandupol Hanuman temple on its busiest day. In a letter, enthusiasts argued that aligning the closure with peak temple footfall would bolster wildlife conservation efforts.

Dinesh Durrani of the Sariska Tiger Foundation emphasized, “Closing on Tuesdays will reduce stress on wildlife from heightened activity, distribute visitors evenly across the week, and enhance park management without major inconvenience to devotees.”

The current Wednesday closure mirrors Ranthambore’s schedule, tailored to its Ganesha temple’s peak day, but Sariska’s Hanuman temple sees maximum crowds on Tuesdays, making the shift logical, they contend.

Nestled in the Aravalli range across Alwar and Jaipur districts, STR’s core spans 881 sq km, hosting tigers, leopards, mongooses, and marsh crocodiles amid dhok-dominated forests. With over 8-10 lakh annual visitors—peaking at 1,800 vehicles during the August-September mela—the reserve faces significant pressure.

A 2024 Central Empowered Committee report flagged traffic’s toll on tiger breeding, noting cub births near temple roads ceased a decade ago. The enthusiasts’ plea, lodged today, seeks a pragmatic tweak to balance devotion and preservation in this biodiverse haven.