Wild mammalian herbivores and cattle are fundamental drivers of African savanna ecosystems and have strong impacts on woody vegetation. However, few experimental studies have investigated the separate and combined influences of different large herbivores on spatial vegetation patterning. In East Africa, temporary cattle corrals (bomas) develop after abandonment into productive, treeless ‘glades’ that attract both domestic and wild herbivores. Edges of glades exhibit unusually high densities of large trees. We used a long term, broad-scale manipulative experiment to test whether