Elephant Herds Restore a Historic African Savanna

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is seeing hundreds of elephants return to Virunga National Park, restoring grasslands and helping wildlife reappear after decades of decline.

“This is a really incredible example of rewilding our planet by giving nature a bit of help and then letting the elephants take care of the rest,” said Wes Sechrest, chief scientist and chief executive of Global Wildlife Conservation.

Around 580 elephants crossed into Virunga from neighbouring Uganda, joining about 120 already in the park and bringing the total to at least 700. As they break through trees and invasive bushes, the elephants are reopening grassland habitat and supporting the return of buffalo, Ugandan kob, warthogs, topi and even lions. Their comeback follows years of anti-poaching work, improved security and community initiatives, showing how protecting land can allow ecosystems to recover rapidly and rebuild biodiversity at scale.