How did elephants transform parts of Virunga National Park from wooded savanna into grass savanna?

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Flat savanna plain with scattered acacia trees under a partly cloudy sky in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. — Savanna A savanna marked with acacia trees in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Africa's Serengeti Plain is commonly used as an example of the savanna biome—a hot, seasonally dry ecological region characterized by an open tree canopy (i.e., scattered trees) above an understory of continuous grasses.

Between 1934 and 1959, the elephant population in Virunga National Park experienced a steady increase, which significantly altered the local landscape.1

These elephants transformed the area from a heavily wooded savanna into a grass savanna by destroying woody plants. Through their feeding habits, the elephants increased the destruction of trees and shrubs, effectively thinning the vegetation and reducing the density of woody species. This shift in the balance of plant life left the region with very few trees, favoring the dominance of grasses.1