Elle Macpherson uses illegal rhino horn powder as beauty treatment

NY Daily News - 6 July 2010

Elle Macpherson in hot water after admitting she uses illegal rhino horn powder as beauty treatment


Elle Macpherson admits to using powdered rhino horn as a beauty
treatment, a Chinese remedy that has been illegal for many years.

Elle Macpherson, aka "The Body," is being blasted by animal-rights advocates for a technique she uses to keep her body looking good.

The 47-year-old supermodel and host of "Britain's Next Top Model" told the Times of London that she eats powdered rhinoceros horn as a beauty treatment.

"Put it this way, it works for me," Macpherson tweeted to the Times Online.

She described the taste of the powder as "a little bit like crushed bone and fungus in a capsule."

"It does the job, though," she added.

The ancient Chinese medicine is banned worldwide by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Trade in all rhino species has been prohibited since 1977, Nicola Beynon of the Humane Society International told the Toronto Sun.

"The Humane Society International condemns the poaching of rhinos, particularly for their use in beauty products, and Ms. Macpherson's actions are reprehensible," said Beynon.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare is so outraged by Macpherson's confession that it has prepared an informational brochure to send to the superstar about the plight of the rhino and the use of alternative treatments.

"There is no excuse for using any endangered animal products," spokeswoman Erica Martin told SkyNews.

"First and foremost, selling rhino products is illegal and in breach of CITES," she said. "And secondly, four out of five species of rhino are literally on the brink of extinction. Elle has been a successful businesswoman with a high public profile for decades, and people do listen to what she says."

Rhino horn is rumored to be able to detect poison, reduce fever and act as an aphrodisiac, but the environmental science website Mongabay.com says, "Rhino horn has no curative properties."

Macpherson's admission comes just one year after the supermodel publicly boycotted a London restaurant for serving endangered bluefin tuna.

Source: NY Daily News