National Park in North Dakota Thinning Herds of Bison and Elk

MEDORA, N.D. (AP) — The National Park Service is thinning the bison and elk herds in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

The southwestern North Dakota park is in the midst of a five-day roundup of 600 bison. About 400 excess animals will go to American Indian tribes in the Great Plains.

Ranger Linda Morton tells The Bismarck Tribune the bison have no natural predator in the park, so the herd has to be culled about every five years.

Starting next week, the park will start culling about 20 elk to keep that herd below 400 animals. Meat from the elk will be given to charity.

The park's elk management plan included large reduction efforts in 2010 and 2011 in which nearly 900 elk were killed. About 115 have been killed the past two years.