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A female Asian leopard has given birth to three “good” cubs in Iran, an official said Sunday, noting that it was the first captive birth of this endangered animal.

The leopard “Iran” was born at the Duran Wildlife Sanctuary in the central province of Semnan, which has seen a sharp decline in the number of these fast-moving animals in the world over the years.

Ali Seljuk, head of the Department of the Environment, said the female leopard “gave birth to three healthy cubs by caesarean section.”

“Since it is the first birth of a captured Asian leopard, the number of Asian leopards can be increased by saving the lives of the cubs,” he added in Iran.

He emphasized that the situation was “normal” for mothers and newborns.

The Asian leopard family is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s endangered species list.

The number of leopards in Iran has dropped to 12 from 50 four years ago, the deputy environment minister said in January.

The ministry said the animals are experiencing the effects of drought, poaching and vehicle attacks, especially in the desert areas in the heart of the Islamic Republic, where they are located in their last numbers.

With the support of the United Nations, Tehran launched a program in 2001 to conserve the species, making Iran one of the last countries in the world where wildlife is still found.

The presence of leopards, which can travel at speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour, stretches from the eastern edges of India to the Atlantic coasts of Senegal and south of the African continent.

Although endemic to significant numbers in South Africa, these large cats have almost disappeared from North Africa and Asia.