Some 60 wild horses which have survived years of freezing weather in the mountainous Souli region of Epirus could soon have protective shelters, local officials said yesterday.

Work could start on those shelters as early as this month, the officials said. An official at the Epirus Regional Authority said experts scoped out locations for the shelters by leaving out bundles of grass for the horses to see where they congregated.

The position of the shelters, which will also supply the horses with food and water, has been decided and a tender will be launched this month. The project has so far cost 150,000 euros.

At least 100 of the wild horses are thought to have starved to death last year after getting trapped in snowdrifts during winter.