The Corolla wild horse herd might grow larger with the passing of a bill currently under consideration by the U.S. House of Representatives’ subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs.

Currently, 108 wild horses in the Corolla herd reside on a sanctuary in and around the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge on the northern tip of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a division of the Department of the Interior. The Corolla Wild Horse Fund, a nonprofit organization, manages the horses.

The proposed legislation, HR 306, the Corolla Wild Horses Protection Act, would allow a herd of not less than 110 free-roaming wild horses in and around such refuge, with a target population of between 120 and 130 free-roaming wild horses.

The bill also calls for the introduction of a small number of free-roaming wild horses from the herd at Cape Lookout National Seashore as is necessary to maintain the genetic viability of the herd, and would allow the horses access to the entire Currituck National Wildlife Refuge including portions currently fenced off to prohibit the horses’ access