The state of Utah wants a federal judge to order the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to remove wild horses from state lands on grounds that the animals damage those rangelands.

The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act federally protects wild horses and burros residing in western states and places them under BLM jurisdiction. The BLM’s website states that about 4,000 wild horses and 300 wild burros reside in 20 herd management areas in Utah.

On Feb. 3, the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court District of Utah, Central Division, in Salt Lake City asking the court to order the BLM to remove all wild horses from SITLA property. The administration manages trust lands—used for grazing, agricultural leases, archeology, and other purposes—for the exclusive benefit of the state institutions and beneficiaries.

The complaint alleges that the BLM’s inability to control the wild horse population, particularly in Iron and Beaver counties, is unlawful because it has resulted in damaging ranges within state-trust lands. The suit seeks the animals’ immediate removal