Five Indian Peacocks Arrive at UN Geneva, Reviving a 45-Year-Old Tradition

India has gifted five Indian peacocks, including a rare white-feathered male, to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG), reviving a decades-old tradition that links the country's natural heritage with the UN's European headquarters.

The five young birds, four blue peafowl and one white-feathered male, were formally handed over to UNOG Director-General Tatiana Valovaya by India's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Arindam Bagchi, at a special ceremony on Friday.

The choice of birds also carries a symbolic touch. Their blue and white colours echo those associated with the United Nations.

The donation is the second time India has presented peacocks to UNOG. In 1981, then prime minister Indira Gandhi sent a breeding pair from the Delhi Zoo, marking the beginning of India's association with the peacock tradition at the UN premises.

The Indian mission described the peacock as a symbol of grace, beauty and resilience, saying the gesture reflects India's commitment to biodiversity conservation and environmental stewardship.

Valovaya welcomed the donation, while Tobias Blaha, Director of Geneva Bioparc zoo, said the birds would find an ideal environment at the UN complex.

The peacocks will initially stay in an enclosed habitat for about three months under the care of the Geneva Bioparc zoo and UN staff. They will later be allowed to roam freely in Ariana Park, the sprawling 46-hectare green space surrounding the UN headquarters in Geneva.

The presence of peacocks in Ariana Park, however, predates the UN itself. The tradition goes back more than a century to Gustave Revilliod, a Swiss archaeologist and art collector who bequeathed the estate to the City of Geneva in 1890.

The land was later made available to the League of Nations and subsequently to the United Nations. Most of the peacocks currently seen in the park were donated by a Japanese zoo in 1997.