Gass Forest Museum — Attraction in West Zone

Quite an enjoyable experience awaits adults and children alike at this museum of natural history of India. The building itself and the grounds are an experience in yesteryear, though the location is right in the heart of Coimbatore. The small entry fee is a bargain.

In the tall, spacious central display area, wild animals prowl in a 3D diorama, appearing so alive that you might draw back upon first glance. They are amazing examples of the fine craft of taxidermy.

In wooden and glass display cases you find a huge amount of birds and other creatures, with lighting available simply by pressing a button.

Benches are available for sitting outside on the pleasant grounds, perhaps to reflect on what you've seen and learned inside the museum.

I found it inspiring to learn a little about the museum's origin, as it's all too easy to take such places for granted and overlook the hard work that goes into bringing them about. Opened in 1902, the museum was named to honor a British conservator of forests who passionately took forward an earlier attempt to set up a forest museum in what was then Madras Presidency. Later, a forestry college, now the Tamil Nadu Forest Academy, was set up on the grounds to train foresters.

The museum has an interesting connection with World War II, as it was closed for 5 years so that its buildings could serve to shelter a number...

Gass Forest Museum is a government run natural history museum situated at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Toward the end of the 19th century, an aborted attempt was made by J. A. Gamble, the conservator of forests for Madras Presidency, to establish a forest museum in the province. A few years later in 1902, Gamble's successor as Conservator of Forests Horace Arichibald Gass succeeded in establishing a museum for forestry. It was opened to the public 15 April 1902 by Baron Ampthill, the then Governor of Madras, at that point simply referred to as the Forest Museum at Coimbatore. When Gass, the first curator, retired in 1905, his successor F. A. Lodge renamed the museum in his honor. It was expanded in 1905 and 1915. In 1912, the Madras Forestry College (currently the Tamil Nadu Forest Academy) was established in the museum grounds to train foresters. During 1942–47, the museum was closed and the buildings used as shelters for World War II evacuees from Malta and Greece. After Indian Independence in 1947, the museum came under the administration Government of Tamil Nadu. It is currently run by the Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), which is situated in the same campus.1 The museum was reopened for public on 1 May 2015 after carrying out renovation works.[3] A 3D diorama depicting wildlife in its natural habitat...

Gass Forest Museum is a government run natural history museum situated at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, South India.Toward the end of the 19th century, an aborted attempt was made by J. A. Gamble, the conservator of forests of Madras Presidency to establish a forest museum in the province. A few years later in 1902, Gamble's successor as Conservator of Forests, Horace Arichibald Gass, succeeded in establishing a museum for forestry. It was opened to the public 15 April 1902 by Baron Ampthill, the then Governor of Madras. When Gass, the first curator, retired in 1905, his successor F. A. Lodge renamed the museum in his honor. It was expanded in 1905 and 1915. In 1912, the Madras Forestry College (currently the Tamil Nadu Forest Academy) was established in the museum grounds to train foresters. During 1942-47, the museum was closed and the buildings used as shelters for World War II evacuees from Malta and Greece. After Indian Independence in 1947, the museum came under the Government of Tamil Nadu. It is currently administered by the management of Institute for Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), which is also situated in the same campus as the museum. The museum was reopened for public on May 1, 2015 after carrying out renovation works.A 3D diorama depicting wildlife in its natural habitat...