Basketball star is successfully reducing extinctions.

I’d never heard of Yao Ming, but apparently he is a retired basketball star. My son, Rob, sent me the link to a description of his inspiring actions.

Thanks to his work, there is now a widespread movement in China to ban shark fin soup, a custom that is driving most shark species to extinction, and also involves the cruelty of a slow death on the victims. As top predators, sharks have an essential role in marine ecosystems.

Now, he is turning his attention to two other precious kinds of life endangered by Chinese customs: elephants and rhinoceroses.

Thank you, Mr. Yao. More power to you.

Here he is, chatting with John Kerry, who is a tall man…