Large mammals such as Asiatic elephant (Elephas maximus), rhino (Rhinoceros sp.), golden monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana), gibbon (Hylobates sp.), giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus), sika deer(Cervus nippon), and brown bear (Ursus arctos) once lived in the Dongting Lake drainage area of the middle-lower reaches of Yangtze River. However, due to climate change, geomorphological change and human disturbance, these large mammals were extirpated from the area. After humans settled in the...