Two Missing Ducks, a Video and a Felony Charge in an Episode at a Foie Gras Farm

FERNDALE, N.Y. — The case of the People of the State of New York against Amber Canavan touches on a variety of issues: animal rights, food culture and tradition, and the advisability of posting online videos of yourself on other people’s property. But at its heart, the central matter in the case — currently percolating in Sullivan County — is this: Did Ms. Canavan steal a pair of ducks?

This much is known: One late night in 2011, Ms. Canavan went to the headquarters of Hudson Valley Foie Gras in Ferndale, a tiny Catskills town some 100 miles northwest of Manhattan. The company is the nation’s largest producer of fatty duck liver — the aforementioned foie gras — revered as a delicacy by some gourmands.

But foie gras is a controversial dish, considered downright cruel by animal-rights activists who object to the force-feeding of the birds, a process known as gavage, used to enlarge the animal’s liver.

So it was that Ms. Canavan, an animal lover, had gone to Hudson Valley Foie Gras, entered one of the company’s barns and filmed the birds, one of several videos that were spliced together and posted on the website of the Animal Protection and Rescue League.

But even if that were to occur, she says she feels her trip to the foie gras farm was a good idea.

“I knew I was taking a risk when I spoke up about what I saw,” she said. “And if it provides any relief for the ducks that are still there, it’s going to be worth it.”

A version of this article appears in print on February 23, 2015, on page A16 of the New York edition with the headline: Missing Ducks, a Video and a Felony Case. Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe

Go to Home Page »

The New York Times