The arrival of the eight "big cats" from Namibia coincides with the 72nd birthday of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who released the first "cat" into the safari park.

In an ambitious effort, eight Namibian cheetahs have arrived in India. The aim is to reintroduce the spotted species that became extinct locally decades ago. They have divided opinions among wildlife experts.

The project is the world's first intercontinental relocation of cheetahs, officials said. Cheetahs are the world's fastest terrestrial animals.

Five male cheetahs and three female cheetahs made the 11-hour flight from a game park in Namibia on a chartered Boeing 747 called the Cat Plane.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi officiated at the release in Kuno National Park on Saturday. Kuno National Park, a game reserve 320 kilometers (200 miles) south of New Delhi, was chosen for its rich game and grasslands.

"The cheetahs have returned to Indian soil today," Modi remarked in a video message upon their arrival, which also happened to be the leader's 72nd birthday.

"India has also fully awakened to love nature. We cannot let our efforts fail."

Each animal, between the ages of 2 and 5 years, was fitted with a satellite collar to monitor their movements. They will initially be kept in quarantine for about a month before being released into open forest areas of the park.

These creatures may have had difficulty adapting to Indian habitats. There are so many leopards in the park that the cubs could become prey for dingoes and other predators, conservation scientist Ravi Chellam said.

"The chances for building a sustainable, wild, and free-ranging cheetah population in India are poor," he stated, citing the government's current action plan.

"Habitat should have been prepared before bringing cheetahs from Namibia. It's like we're moving to a new city with one not-so-good place to stay. Not a good situation at all."

"Cheetahs are very adaptable, and they'll adapt well to this environment," said Laurie Marker, founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), a Namibia-based charity that has been a core for the project's logistics.

They are expected to be joined by another 12 cheetahs from South Africa next month.

India has raised more money for the 910 million rupiahs ($11.4 million) project, largely funded by state-owned Indian Oil Corp, which it hopes will eventually increase its cheetah population to around 40.