Black Rhinoceros—Faux Leather Structured Dress
Fallen Angels Jewelry
Hair by Salon Fluxx, Rozalyn Polecastro & Joe Paciorek
Make-up by Karen Koenig, Frances Mullozzi, Leticia Carrillo, Molly Lindenberger
Photos by Jonothan Mackoff/Alberto Gonzalez
Black Rhinoceros
The black rhinoceros or hook‐lipped rhinoceros is a species of rhinoceros, native to eastern and central Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Angola. Although the rhinoceros is referred to as black, its colors vary from brown to gray. The species overall is classified as critically endangered, and one subspecies, the western black rhinoceros, was declared extinct by the IUCN in 2011. The black rhinoceros had been pushed to the brink of extinction by illegal poaching for their horn, and to a lesser extent by the loss of habitat. A major market for rhino horn has historically been in the Arab nations to make ornately carved handles for ceremonial daggers called jambiyas. Demand for these exploded in the 1970s causing the black rhinoceros population to decline 96% between 1970 and 1992. The horn is also used in traditional Chinese medicine and is said to be able to revive comatose patients, cure fevers, and aid male sexual stamina and fertility. The purported effectiveness of the use of rhino horn in treating any illness has not been confirmed or even suggested by medical science.
