Gass Forest Museum

About Gass Forest Museum, Coimbatore

Centuries-old forestry and natural history exhibits

• Located inside the Tamil Nadu Forest Academy campus in RS Puram, this natural history museum was founded in 1902 by British forest officer Horace Archibald Gass.
• It serves as one of the oldest specialized forestry institutions in India, preserving botanical and zoological collections collected across south Indian forests.
• Inside, wooden display cases hold timber cross-sections, seeds, insects, plant pathology models, and antique forestry tools.
• The main hall features taxidermy mounts, including a full-grown Indian bison presented by the Maharaja of Mysore and an elephant fetus preserved in formalin.
• The museum opens weekdays between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM, charging an entry fee under fifty rupees.
• It offers a sheltered daytime stop year-round, particularly convenient during midday heat when outdoor sights in the city become uncomfortable to explore.