Close to Azraq, in Jordan's East, you find the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve. Established in 1975 the reserve is a breeding centre for some of the most endangered and rare wildlife in the Middle East. The intention of the Shaumari Reserve, a 2 hours drive from Amman, was to breed endangered species like the Arabian Oryx. This antelope became extinct on the Arabian Peninsula in 1972, in Jordan they didn't exist since the 1920s anymore due to the increased hunting. International rescue efforts known as Operation Oryx started in the USA, where a herd was established, and in the late 70s the Royal Society for the Conversation of Nature (RSCN) prepared for the first wildlife protection reserve in Jordan.

Over the years the Shaumari Reserve, covering 22 square meters, managed to grow up a herd of Arabian Oryx of 200 animals. Moreover, in the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve ostriches, onagers and desert gazelles can be seen. In the area you find also a rich variety of desert plants, mainly because the vegetation inside the reserve is protected from the grazing of sheep and goats.