The wildlife sanctuary is essentially the crater bowl and a margin of forest around the rim, protected since 2000. It is small by Indian park standards — under four square kilometres — but the density of birdlife and small mammals inside is high. Peafowl are abundant and noisy, especially in the early morning; chinkaras (Indian gazelles), wild boar, langurs, and monitor lizards are commonly seen on a slow walk down to the lake.
The lake itself attracts a long list of resident and migratory waterbirds in winter, including occasional flamingos, herons, and ducks moving south from Siberia. There is no entry fee at present, and access is via the same path that descends from the crater rim.