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BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) Montana wildlife officials have killed a pair of elk north of Yellowstone National Park near Gardiner after they tested positive for exposure to the disease brucellosis.

The elk were killed to guard against a transmission of the disease to cattle.

Their removal marked the first time elk were killed over brucellosis concerns in more than two decades. It was spurred largely by rising concerns over brucellosis following at least seven suspected elk-to-cattle transmissions in the Yellowstone area in recent years.

The elk had been radio-collared last year as part of a Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks research program. That research indicated the animals were likely to spend winter or early spring in areas with livestock.

They were part of a herd of about 6,000 to 7,000 elk that ranges north of Yellowstone National Park.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 01-14-09 1211CST | save this article / add to your favorites list