Aquila Game Drive

On January 13, we drove 2.5 hours to experience the Aquila Private Game Reserve. Nervous about which animals we would encounter on the safari, we piled into the back of a truck and prepared ourselves for an adventure. Our driver and tour guide’s name was Emile, and he maneuvered the truck on the bumpy surface to the best spots for viewing the animals, while also offering information about their unique characteristics.

As we spotted majestic elephants, Emile informed us about how the African elephant uses its ears to control its body temperature and is able to pick up very small objects (even rice) with its trunk. Emile told us how the hippos live most of their lives under water, yet can only hold their breath for 6 minutes. As we found wildebeests, Emile explained that the black wildebeest has a white tail and the blue wildebeest has a black tail. I learned that the ostriches we saw can run faster than 80 km/h, and the zebras form a dazzle to confuse predators in a mix of black and white stripes. We also saw springboks, giraffes, and rhinos, but the animal that stuck out the most to me was the blue wildebeest that we came across during the second half of the drive. 

Unlike most of the animals we saw, this wildebeest was on its own, missing one of its horns. Emile explained that because of this “defect” the wildebeest had been abandoned by its community. As we drove back to the start, I reflected how important community is to life. Over just a week and a half, our group had bonded as a family. At Langa township, we learned about the importance and passion for community. I think that at times our society lives divided by fear, and learning more about the necessity of community during this trip, I am more thankful for the communities I am part of on campus.

This was the truck we drove in for the tour.