Theodore Roosevelt National Park to reduce bison herd from 700 to 400 animals

By JACK DURA
Associated Press

National park officials are planning to gather and reduce the bison herd in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, rehoming the animals to a number of Native American tribes. The “bison capture” is scheduled to start Saturday and continue through the week in the park’s South Unit near Medora. The operation will be closed to the public for safety reasons. The park plans to reduce its roughly 700 bison to 400.  Bison removed from the park will be rehomed and come under tribal management. InterTribal Buffalo Council Executive Director Troy Heinert says the bison will provide genetic diversity and increase numbers of existing tribal herds.