Cacareco (1954–1962) was a female

black rhinoceros The black rhinoceros (''Diceros bicornis''), also called the black rhino or the hooked-lip rhinoceros, is a species of rhinoceros native to East Africa, East and Southern Africa, including Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Moza ...

exhibited in Brazilian zoos. She is known for receiving many votes in the 1958

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

city council elections as a form of

protest vote A protest vote (also called a blank, null, spoiled, or "none of the above" vote) is a vote cast in an election to demonstrate dissatisfaction with the choice of candidates or the current political system. Protest voting takes a variety of forms ...

. Electoral officials did not accept Cacareco's candidacy, but she eventually won 100,000 votes, more than any other party in that same election (which was also marked by rampant

absenteeism Absenteeism is a habitual pattern of absence from a duty or obligation without good reason. Generally, absenteeism refers to unplanned absences. Absenteeism has been viewed as an indicator of poor individual performance, as well as a breach of an ...

). Cacareco's candidacy inspired the

Rhinoceros Party of Canada A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family Rhinocerotidae; it can also re ...

, nominally led by the rhinoceros Cornelius the First.

History

Cacareco was born in 1954 at the Jardim Zoológico do Rio de Janeiro. She was the daughter of rhinoceroses Britador and Terezinha. In 1958 she was loaned for three months, on the occasion of the opening of

São Paulo Zoo The São Paulo Zoo () is the largest zoo in Brazil. With 824,529 m2 (82.45 hectares 03.7 acres of space in what was originally the Atlantic Forest, the zoo is south of the city of São Paulo. It displays more than 3,200 animals, 102 species ...

. In that year there were elections being held for the city council. Journalist Itaboraí Martins, displeased with the candidates' level, proposed the name of Cacareco as a write-in candidate. Cacareco was returned to

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

two days before the elections, where she received 100,000 votes. She was also exhibited at

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, ; , ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian Federative units of Brazil, state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of roughly 1.4 million inhabitants (2022) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, 11th-most p ...

in 1962, before dying in the same year. Her skeleton is currently on display at the Museum of Anatomy of the University of São Paulo.

References

{{Reflist Individual animals in politics History of São Paulo 1958 in Brazil 1958 in politics Individual animals in Brazil Individual rhinoceroses 1954 animal births 1962 animal deaths