The Indian government will introduce a multimillion-pound plan to import Cheetahs, a species on the verge of extinction, for Indian grasslands. Jairam Ramesh, the Minister of State for Environment and Forests, said: "We have to get cheetahs from abroad to repopulate the species. We soon hope to do so."

The minister said that the government had failed to check the rampant killing of tigers, despite reserving a sum of £93 millions for the protection of the national animal of the country.

Mr. Ramesh further said: "Two naturalists, Divya Bhanusinh and M K Ranjit Singh, suggested the idea of importing cheetahs from Africa. We are open to the idea and will hold a meeting along with the IUCN in September calling international experts at Gajner near Bikaner."

The government would schedule a meeting of international experts in Rajasthan in September, to discuss the feasibility of setting up a "breeding nucleus" site for producing animals for Indian animal parks and sanctuaries.

The subspecies survive in the Kavir desert of Iran, but the Islamic Republic's leaders always turned down request by India to provide even a sample of tissue of species for cloning purposes.

K. Ranjitsinh, the chairman of the Wildlife Trust of India, said: "Suitable habitats are abundant in India, but are being managed terribly. The cheetah could be an important symbol, a lever to help protect even rarer species in the same areas."