Bill would increase number of mustangs

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The size of the wild mustang herd on the northern tip of North Carolina's Outer Banks would be larger under a new measure in the U.S. Congress.

U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., says the House of Representatives unanimously passed his bill this week.

The legislation would revise a management plan for the wild horses in Corolla to allow between 110 and 130 mustangs.

The existing plan calls for no more than 60 horses in a 7,500-acre sanctuary, although there are currently more than 100 mustangs.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the horses are competing with protected bird species for resources. The horses are not federally protected.

Jones says 60 horses is too small a number to ensure genetic viability. The bill now goes to the Senate.