The case of Rocket – the mare put under an unjust sanitary sequestration and obliged to live in a box after living free for years – has been followed by “Striscia La Notizia” (a very popular daily TV news show here in Italy), which on 12th March aired a report by Edoardo Stoppa.

Rocket has been declared Equine Infectious Anaemia positive by using an unofficial test, which isn’t utilized in Europe for diagnostic use (see our other correlated articles). The official test has instead resulted negative not once, but twice. In spite of this, the Poli (Rome) Commune and ASL (local health authorities) have ruled Rocket must be kept in isolation. Rocket’s owners and IHP have been fighting for months to give her back her freedom. This is also a civil battle, because we believe every citizen has the right to see their freedom protected from arbitrary initiatives, which have no juridical or scientific ground.

In front of such an uproar, we are surprised by the Health Minister’s silence, especially by Undersecretary On. Francesca Martini’s. IHP asked and pressed her to issue and official explanation about the tests to be used to declare an equine EIA positive. This could lead to Rocket’s release... but we got no answer so far.

Click here to watch “Striscia La Notizia” report and the images of shut-in Rocket


Related articles:
28/01/2011 AIE: request of refutation
25/01/2011 a letter from Rocket’s "mom"
24/01/2011 request to Honorable Francesca Martini
18/01/2011 petition for Rocket’s liberation
14/01/2011 Rocket, the EIA and the logic
09/01/2011 Rocket, the tale of an injustice