Prime Minister sights tiger at Ranthambore ..from the pages of HINDUSTAN TIMES

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday reportedly sighted a tiger during his safari in the Ranthambore national park. The Prime Minister, along with his wife Gursharan Kaur, spent around two-and-a-half hours in the park. He went to the park at around 6 am and returned at around 8.30 am. Manmohan Singh looked cheerful after sighting the tiger, one of the jeep drivers who had gone with the Prime Minister inside the park said.

In 1974, 14 tigers were counted during the wildlife census in the park. The numbers went up to 47 in 2004. There have been reports of tiger poaching in the park. The tiger population in the Sariska national park, also in Rajasthan, has reportedly come down due to poaching. Reports of tiger poaching and a drastic fall in the population of tigers prompted the Prime Minister to visit one of the country's top tiger reserves. The latest census, being carried out currently in the park, is now almost over. A final report is likely to be submitted in a month.