Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday released eight cheetahs into Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on the occasion of his 72^nd birthday.

Two cheetahs were released from enclosure number one and after that about 70 meters away, from the second enclosure another cheetah was released.

In 1952, cheetahs were declared extinct from India but today 8 cheetahs (5 females and 3 males) were brought from Africa's Namibia as part of 'Project Cheetah' and the government's efforts to revitalise and diversify the country's wildlife and habitat.

The cheetahs were brought in a cargo aircraft in Gwalior as part of an inter-continental cheetah translocation project. Later, the Indian Air Force choppers carried the cheetahs to Kuno National Park from Gwalior Air Force Station.

The cheetahs have been brought under an MoU signed earlier this year.

According to reports, radio collars have been installed in all the cheetahs to be monitored through satellite 24 hours.

Cheetahs will help in the restoration of open forest and grassland ecosystems in India and will help conserve biodiversity and enhance the ecosystem services like water security, carbon sequestration and soil moisture conservation.

"Cheetah is said to be the fastest animal. It runs at a speed of 100-120 km per hour. The habitat that has been selected in Kuno is very beautiful and ideal, where there are large grasslands, small hills, and forests and it is very suitable for cheetahs. Heavy security arrangements have been made in Kuno National Park. Arrangements have been done to prevent poaching activities, said SP Yadav, Project Cheetah chief.