completed. In 1909 the fence was finished and 325 bison were relocated to Buffalo National Park. However, 40–70 bison evaded capture and became the ancestors of today's herd in Elk Island National Park. Since 2007, Parks Canada has actively managed a herd of about 400 pure-bred and disease free plains bison and 300 wood bison in Elk Island. When the bison number over this amount they are sold. The proceeds of the sales go to help finance the needs of national parks. In the late 19th century, only 300 wood bison remained worldwide, almost exclusively in Wood Buffalo National Park. During the 1920s, 6,000–7,000 plains bison were also relocated to Wood Buffalo National Park. These bison were not only infected with brucellosis and tuberculosis, which infected the wood bison herd, but the wood and plains subspecies also interbred, and thus it was thought that wood bison were completely extinct by the 1940s. In 1957, however, a disease-free, not fully but relatively pure wood bison herd of 200 was discovered near Nyarling river in Wood Buffalo National Park. In 1965, 23 of these bison were relocated to the south side of Elk Island National Park and remain there today as the most genetically pure wood bison remaining. In 2007, the wood bison population in Elk Island National Park was estimated at 315. Elk Island has become famous for exporting its ungulates to other conservation areas around North America, and even to Russia. In 1996 elk were sent to Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky. Starting in 2005, a series of plains bison deliveries were made to the American Prairie in northeastern Montana, including 94 head in 2010 and 72 in 2012. Three groups of 30 wood bison were sent to the Republic of Sakha, in the Russian Federation, partly to replace the extinct steppe bison in the habitat but also a protection against any disease wiping out the North American herd of that species. Conservationists transferred fifty-three wood bison from this national park to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in June 2008. They were absent from Alaskan boreal forests for nearly one hundred years. Climate Activities and facts Elk Island National Park is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round. Park User Fees apply. Popular year-round activities include birding and wildlife gazing. Winter activities include unserviced camping, hiking, snowshoeing and cross country skiing. Summer activities