The first cheetah cubs were born in India since their extinction 70 years ago

India has welcomed the birth of four cheetah cubs – more than 70 years after the animals were officially declared extinct there.

India’s environment minister announced the good news, calling it “a momentous event”.

The country has been trying to reintroduce the big cats for decades, and last year brought in eight cheetahs from Namibia as part of the plan.

Another 12 cheetahs were brought to India from South Africa last month.

The four cubs were born in the Kono National Wildlife Refuge to a female from Namibia last September.

“I congratulate the entire Project Cheetah team for their tireless efforts in bringing cheetahs back to India and for their efforts in righting an ecological wrong done in the past,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also welcomed the “wonderful news”.

The Press Trust of India reports that the cubs are believed to have been born five days early, but officials spotted them on Wednesday.

A zoo official told the news agency that the mother, Sayya, and the cubs are fine and in good health.

But the announcement of the new cubs comes just two days after one of the eight other Namibian cheetahs died in Kono National Park from kidney failure.

When they were brought to India last year, it was the first time that a large carnivore had been transported from one continent to another and reintroduced into the wild.

Cheetahs – the world’s fastest land animal – were officially extinct in India in 1952, after years of dwindling numbers due to hunting, habitat loss and not enough prey to eat.

The vast majority of the 7,000 cheetahs in the world are now found in Africa – in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.

The Asian cheetah is endangered and is now found only in Iran, where it is believed that there are about 50 cheetahs left.

The cheetah is globally listed as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

It can race across grasslands at speeds of up to 70 mph (112 km/h) to capture prey.