Athlete and WildAid ambassador for sharks, elephants, rhinos
Yao Ming is a retired NBA basketball legend and eight-time All-Star. He played for China at the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Olympic Games, leading China's Olympic delegation in 2008, and served as president of the Chinese Basketball Association from 2017 to 2024. Yao became a WildAid ambassador in 2006, when he signed a pledge to give up shark fin soup, and has since appeared in ads, billboards, and public service announcements calling for an end to the illegal wildlife trade.
The impact of Yao Ming's campaigns
Sharks
Yao Ming's PSAs showed audiences in China how shark fin soup is made, and the message landed. A 2014 WildAid report found:
- Shark fin vendors in Guangzhou, the center of China's shark fin trade, reported an 82% decline in sales.
- 85% of Chinese consumers surveyed online said they had given up shark fin soup in the previous three years; two-thirds of them cited awareness campaigns.
- 19 of 20 Beijing restaurant representatives interviewed reported a significant decline in shark fin consumption, and all agreed that WildAid's PSAs featuring Yao Ming had raised awareness among customers.
One Guangzhou wholesaler put it plainly: "Yao Ming's commercial impact single-handedly smashed my business."
Elephants
Yao Ming is the star of WildAid's documentary The End of the Wild, about the poaching crises facing Africa's elephants and rhinos, and he was instrumental in bringing about China's ban on the domestic ivory trade at the end of 2017. A year after the ban took effect, ivory prices in China had fallen to $734.50 per kilogram, down from $2,100 in 2014.
Frequently asked questions
What is Yao Ming doing for wildlife now?
Yao Ming remains a WildAid ambassador, a role he took on in 2006. After retiring from the NBA in 2011, he led the Chinese Basketball Association from 2017 to 2024. His campaigns for sharks and elephants are featured on this page.
Did Yao Ming's campaign reduce shark fin consumption?
Yes. WildAid's 2014 report found an 82% drop in shark fin sales among Guangzhou vendors, and two-thirds of consumers who had given up shark fin soup cited awareness campaigns like Yao Ming's.
How can I help protect sharks?
Don't buy shark fin products, read labels closely (some cosmetics contain squalene, a compound commonly made from a shark's liver), and share the facts. You can also donate to WildAid to fund the next demand-reduction campaign.
Join Yao Ming in protecting sharks. Donate to WildAid · Read the full story of his campaign
