The Xinluo ReserVe was created in 1992 chiefly as a China river dolphin sanctuary.

An endangered animal unique to China, the China river dolphin has been placed at the first level of national protection. The scarest surviving China river dolphins live in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and Xinluo portion is one of their major haunts. At this part Yangtze River broadly flows in rambling fashion for more than 135.5 km from Xintankou to Luoshan with a depth of about 25 m.

For the River's habit of twisting and sliding like snake creates greater and greater loops in its winding course. With all the silt and debris brought in by hundreds of tributaries, it has become a favorable habitat for this freshwater dolphin's diet-fishes and shrimps , including black carp, grass carp, silver carp, bighead , crucian carp and anchovy.