Assateague Ponies Staying Put

The decision announced Tuesday applies only to horses on the Maryland half of the island, which is run by the Park Service. It settles a debate on how to deal with the horses, who have an appetite for rare and valuable plants.

Instead, the Park Service plans to use "intensive contraception" to thin the pony herd from 130 to between 80 and 100 over five to eight years. In the past, scientists have shot female horses with darts containing contraceptive chemicals.

The decision does not affect ponies on the Virginia side, which are owned by a local volunteer fire company. Many of those ponies are auctioned off after the annual Chincoteague pony swim.