Forest Research Institute to remain shut till January 15 after leopard sighting

Forest Research Institute (FRI) Dehradun will remain closed from December 29 to January 15 to reduce leopard terror in the area, said a letter issued by the registrar.

Dehradun:Forest Research Institute (FRI) Dehradun will be closed from December 29 to January 15 after a leopard sneaked into the campus and the Forest Department officials are yet to catch the big cat. A large number of tourists, as well as locals, visit FRI and it will remain closed for safety reasons, said an official.

The registrar of FRI issued a notice directing to stop the activities inside the campus till the leopard is caught. The movement of wild animals was also noted in areas around Kaulagarh Dehradun which resulted in panic among the locals.

FRI, established in 1906 as the Imperial Forest Institute, is a premier institute under the Indian Council of Forest Research and Education. It's main building, which was inaugurated in 1921, has been declared a national heritage as it is famous for all kinds of research related to forests. FRI, spread over 2000 acres, was designed by William Lutyens and it has seven museums and several kinds of trees and plants from Tibet and Singapore.