Federal land managers have cleared the way for population control measures for the wild horses in the Onaqui Mountains southwest of Salt Lake City.
The Bureau of Land Management said Friday those measures will include fertility control vaccines and the gather and removal of excess horses from the area.
Officials said chronic overpopulation is damaging to the long-term health of wild horse herds, other wildlife and the land on which they all depend.
The goal is to slow the herd’s growth and maintain a balance between wild horses on the range and other public land resources.
The current wild horse population in the area is estimated at 586. The agency says a more appropriate level would range between 121 and 210 horses based on forage and other resource considerations.