Tal Chhapar Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in the Churu district of northwestern Rajasthan, in the Shekhawati region of India. It is known for blackbucks and is also home to a variety of birds. It is situated on the fringe of the Great Indian Desert and between Ratangarh and Sujangarh on the Nokha-Sujangarh state highway.
Geography and geology
The sanctuary is named after Chhapar village which is located at 27°-50' North and 74°-25' East. It is a flat saline depression locally known as a "tal" that has a unique ecosystem in the heart of the Thar Desert. It is at a height of 302 metres (990 feet) above sea level, and covers 719 hectares.
Climate
This region is characterized by a distinct winter (from October to February), summer (March to June) and monsoon (July to September). The zone has a dry climate with a large variation in temperature, wind blows south – west during summer. In May and June winds become very hot and that is called "loo". The maximum temperature reaches up to in June and the minimum temperature falls to in December – January. The Tal Chhapar Zone comes under the principal arid zone of the country. Rainfall in this region is highly erratic. There is a large variation in mean annual rainfall in this region. The average rainfall in this region ranges between 300 and 450 mm.
See also
- Arid Forest Research Institute