Elephants are known to knock down trees and vegetation to make it easier to get to the things they want. If you have ever been on a safari you will see how easy it is to spot if there are elephants near by, they destroy just about everything in their path. AFAIK the only animal that regularly does this.

I don't know if modifying the environment for your purposes is consideration for being a person, but as humans we are often poor at understanding intelligence, comprehension, and empathy when something doesn't speak our native tongue.