The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad has asked Iran to loan it a pair of the big cats or offer cells to begin the cloning process, reports BBC News Online.

Institute director Lalji Singh said: 'I've asked Iran for a pair of cheetahs and proposed cloning where it is not possible to multiply them by regular or assisted breeding.'

The cheetah has been extinct in India for more than 50 years.

Similar to the leopard, it is the fastest animal on land, capable of reaching 100 kmh in short spurts.

It disappeared from India following large-scale hunting during British rule, but is still found in parts of Iran.

Dr Lalji Singh said an Indian leopard would be able to serve as a surrogate mother for a cloned cheetah. In cloning, the nucleus is removed from a female's egg cell and replaced with the nucleus from a cell of the animal to be cloned.

The institute is setting up a large laboratory to revive endangered species, as part of a US$2.3 million (S$4 million) project.

Dr Singh added that the small number of Iranian cheetahs are identical to those that disappeared from India.

The Indian government approached Iran more than a year ago on the matter, but progress has been slow.

Dr Singh hopes the project could pave the way for the conservation of other endangered species, such as Indian tigers and lions.