Alison Stephenson
From: NewsCore
July 07, 2010 4:04PM

ELLE Macpherson says she regrets any distress she may caused by jokingly advocating the use of powdered rhino horn, a traditional Chinese medicine that is banned worldwide.
During a recent interview with The Sunday Times Magazine, the Australian model said that she had tasted rhino horn and that it had "done the job".

Read the excerpt from the interview below, and see what you think. Share your thoughts below.

Her comments were condemned by animal rights activists, more so because Macpherson had publicly boycotted a posh London restaurant for serving bluefin tuna, an animal that is as endangered as the white rhino.

However, the model told news.com.au today that she had "never knowingly consumed or encouraged the use or consumption of any products which contain material derived from endangered species".

She said that she regretted "any distress or offence that her banter with an interviewer might have caused".

Macpherson, 47, who is in Britain hosting the TV show Britain's Next Top Model, said that although she had great respect for Chinese medicine she was "fundamentally opposed to any activity which is detrimental to the protection of endangered animals".

Rhino horns sell for up to $60,000 a kilo, and has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine to cure a variety of ailments including fevers, pain, arthritis and a host of other serious diseases.

The World Wildlife Fund says rhino poaching worldwide hit a 15-year high in 2009, driven by the demand for rhino horn products.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare said that it was so shocked by the supermodel's comments that it had prepared an information package to send to her to educate her on the plight of the rhino and the use of alternative traditional medicines.

"Elle has been a successful businesswoman with a high public profile for decades and people do listen to what she says," spokeswoman Erica Martin said.

The Elle interview

The Sunday Times: You’re said to be a great fan of Chinese medicine. What does powdered rhino horn taste like?

Elle Macpherson: A little bit like crushed bone and fungus in a capsule. Does the job though.

The Sunday Times: How do you know that it works? A lot of people say Chinese medicine is quackery.

Macpherson: Put it this way, works for me.