Federal legislation that would allow the Corolla Wild Horse herd to grow larger advanced this week when the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources approved it.

The feral horses in the Corolla herd reside in Currituck, N.C. Two-thirds of the animals roam lands owned by private individuals and corporations. The remaining one-third roam the 7,500-acre sanctuary in the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge located on the northern tip of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the refuge.

Corolla Wild Horse Fund (CWHF) Executive Director Karen McCalpin said that a 2010 aerial census revealed that 115 animals reside on the island, although more recent aerial surveys indicate this number could be as high as 120-140 animals.

The Corolla Wild Horses Protection Act, HR 306, introduced earlier this year by North Carolina Congressman Walter Jones, would allow a herd of not less than 110 free-roaming wild horses in and around the refuge, with a target population of between 120 and 130 free-roaming wild horses