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After Flurry of News Stories, McConaughey Distances Himself from Hunting Facility that Listed Him as “Co-Owner” & “Staff” Member

February 4, 2015 by Leave a Comment


The News

In an attempt to distance himself from the ranch run by his family that sells canned hunts, Matthew McConaughey has said that he sold his share of the company in 2011. Why then did the LP Ranch’s website include, until February 4, 2015,  a photo of McConaughey on its “Meet the Staff” page with a caption that described him as a “co-owner?” Was McConaughey, who is a major celebrity, allowing his brother and nephew to falsely identify him as an owner and staff member to promote the business? After the news spread to major media outlets, LP Ranch removed McConaughey’s photo from its website.

With his brother Mike, actor Matthew McConaughey owns a cattle ranch that sells canned hunts.

On February 4, LP Ranch removed the photo of Matthew McConaughey from its “Meet the Staff” page which described him as a “co-owner.”

After our story about Matthew McConaughey’s hunting business went viral, TheirTurn gave TMZ an “exclusive” on the news, and they posted their story within a couple of hours:  “Matthew McConaughey Ranch Draws Fire Over Trapped Deer Kills.” Once TMZ posted the story, it was picked up by dozens of other media outlets including The Daily News, MSN and The Daily Mail.

McConaughey_TMZ_hunting

TMZ spoke to McConaughey’s nephew Madison, who runs the ranch:

“We reached out to Matt’s rep … so far no word back. But the actor’s nephew, Madison McConaughey — the ranch cattle manager — tells TMZ they’ve had death threats from people who don’t understand the nature of what they do. He says, ‘People are disgusted with us but we’re disgusted with them.’ Madison adds, people who come there do so for the ‘hunting experience’ and he says ‘We’re proud of what we do.’

The TMZ story includes a video interview with Madison McConaughey.

In canned hunts, animals are confined to a fenced in area with no way to escape. Because canned hunt operators often feed the animals, the animals are unafraid of people. In Zimbabwe and other areas in South Africa, lions are raised from birth by canned hunt operators. Tourists help to finance the operation by paying to interact with the tame lions, who, when fully grown, are transferred to a canned hunt site where tourists pay up to $100,000 to kill a mature male.

Donny Moss from TheirTurn.net investigates canned hunt operation masquerading as a conservation group in Zimbabwe

Donny Moss from TheirTurn.net (on the right) investigates canned hunt operation masquerading as a conservation group in Zimbabwe

Following is a one minute video explaining and showing a canned lion hunt in Africa:



Comments via Facebook

TheirTurn.net Comments

  1. Vincent Fontaine says:

    I enjoyed watching the movies this guy was in, now I won’t spend a dime on this bastards movies!

  2. Julia Omvig says:

    SHAME, SHAME, SHAME on anyone who would be involved in such as these “canned hunts.” You must be so proud……What a terrible example to be setting for our children and our future. When will compassion ever will out over inhumanity and the almighty dollar. SHAME, SHAME, SHAME on you Matthew and all involved, What an embarassment!

  3. Tess Faulkner says:

    I love how only vegans can have an opinion on this because they are supposed to be perfect or something. No one is perfect. Well, I am vegan so here’s my two cents. I am extremely disappointed in Matthew McConaughey. I guess that because I have been a fan of his that I wasn’t really looking close enough at what Matthew the person is like outside of the roles that he plays in film. Therefore, I’ll take my share of responsibility for not knowing but it really makes me see him quite differently. Someone who has been so blessed in his career and life is exploiting animals for his further benefit. It makes him despicable, in my opinion. And I will no longer be a patron to someone so arrogant and ignorant of the our precious wildlife in exchange for some upper class, privileged form of unskilled hunting for a pathetic waste of the human race who have no respect for our disappearing wild kingdoms. Matthew McConaughey is not helping the planet, he is helping the upper classes continue to exploit it. And his children are learning by his example, unfortunately, for all of us.

  4. Sandra Wood says:

    This is the sickest and cruelest kind of business/sport I have ever heard of. There needs to be serious jail time for people like these. But leave it to the state of Texas to think of something like this.

    I will no longer buy or watch any of Mathew Mc Conaughey’s movie’s.

  5. June Massey says:

    How do u know that the people commenting are not vegans or vegetarians? anyone who involves themselves in exploitation & killing is open to critiscism from animal lovers, plain & simple, those of us who dont support any cruelty have just as many rights as the majority who do support cruelty & killing. Mathew M is a huge dissapointment,thats his problem.

  6. Elinor Hawke-Szady says:

    It saddens me that Matthew McConaughey was involved in this; sounds like he isn’t anymore, but his nephew/other family members were continuing to use that photo of Matthew with his wife and young son for potential profit purposes. I never would’ve thought he was the type of person who would condone canned hunts. I’m glad you sent the story to TMZ and that they followed up/published along with other media outlets. Canned hunts are just plain WRONG.

    1. Minnie Blum says:

      Canned hunts are wrong. So is hunting and not consuming the animal that has been killed. This isn’t canned hunting, it’s hunting in an “enclosure” of 22,000 acres. And the nephew who owns the ranch (PETA and the Houston Chronicle verified: Madison McConaughey is 100% the owner despite what was up on the website which apparently hadn’t be redone in years) stated that hunting is not allowed near the feeding stations. And the deer killed are consumed. Venison is served in most trendy restaurants. Cattle on this ranch, however, are slaughtered. The slaughterhouse is in no way more humane than being shot.

      So unless you are a vegan, don’t eat meat, don’t allow your dogs and cats to eat meat products, don’t wear leather, etc., you are being a hypocrite.

      Work to eliminate factory farming (which this ranch doesn’t do as the cattle is free range). That’s what is truly cruel and people prefer to look the other way while consuming their Big Mac (factory farmed).

  7. Marjorie Caruso says:

    I’ve always liked Matthew McConaughey, but now I’ve lost all respect for him and his family.

    I’ve just added Mr. McConaughey to my list of actors that I will never support: Liam Neesom, Samuel L. Jackson, Woody Allen, Kim Cattrall and now Matthew McConaughey.

    I’ll live without seeing them act ever again.

    1. Terrie says:

      Hi, can you please explain what Samuel L Jackson has done wrong? I like him and he seems a nice decent person, but I’d like to know if he’s involved in any animal cruelty as I do not support anyone who is.

      1. Marjorie Caruso says:

        I’m happy to list why I won’t support the people I mentioned:

        Woody Allen – Pedophile
        Liam Neeson – supports the carriage horse industry, only because he’s best buddies with the Irish people who own the carriages.
        Samuel L. Jackson – for his support of Michael Brown when it’s obvious to everyone that Michael Brown was a criminal. I’m a supporter of the NYPD and all our good police. (sorry this was not animal related but I have my list and I posted it.)
        Kim Cattrall – for her support of Pfizer who makes Premarin and in turn tortures pregnant mares and then sends the foals to slaughter.

    2. chistine cotton says:

      the only connection I can see between Kim,Samuel & Liam is that they are all Liverpool football club supporters so what is your problem?

  8. MARY says:

    There are a lot of bad people out there that should be hunted and killed. Animals are harmless and beautiful. Traditional hunting is bad enough. This is barbaric! What kind of jerk would do such a thing?

  9. Minnie Blum says:

    Both Matthew McConaughey’s rep and PETA have confirmed Matthew has nothing to do with this. He hasn’t owned the ranch since 2011 when it was a horse and cattle farm. This is his nephew’s doing and he isn’t his nephew’s keeper, folks.

    This is really an irreponsible website for people who read every 3rd word of articles posted.

    1. Donny Moss says:

      McConaughey was listed on LP Ranch’s website as a “co-owner” and “staff” member until that was removed today, and his photo was on the website as a staff member. You are therefore incorrect when you say, “he has nothing to do with it.” The ranch introduced canned hunts in 2007, so, if McConaughey did, in fact, sell his share in 2011, then he owned it while it was offering canned hunts.

      1. Minnie Blum says:

        Are you a vegan and are your pets vegans? If not, you really don’t have anything to complain about. It’s a cattle ranch. Ever seen cattle being slaughtered? Deer hunting on a 22,000 acre spread is a lot more humane than the slaughterhouse.

        People who claim to be outraged at hunting and then go to Walmart to buy their factory farmed bacon really have nothing to bitch about. Factory farming is the real, inhumane issue. At least the cattle on this ranch appear to be free range and not locked in cages like in factory farms.

        1. Monica L says:

          Well, I’m vegan, and whether they die in a slaughterhouse or not isn’t the point. It’s the idea of profiting off of killing. The big picture is that people are so inured to the suffering they cause, that they are incapable of empathy for their victims. Humans who experience “the thrill” of the kill are unevolved and shallow. Someday this kind of activity will be criminalized, and I hope that day comes soon.

          1. Judy says:

            Very well said.

        2. Mara says:

          Minnie,

          I am a vegan but the bigger question here is ‘will we survive and be satisfied on a vegan diet as humans?’. If so then we need to stop this killing madness. Raising an animal and being it’s mother and caregiver for most of it’s life and then sendimg someone off to shoot at it when it is blissfully ignorantly enjoying the day with it’s family and friends is sick…it’s not different than the DC sniper shooting humans. These animals are thrown in midst of gun fire and danger…they sense it and don’t understand it. If they only know that the people who were pretending to be their angel, friend and guardian have been doing it for a profit at the cost of their (animal’s) life !!

          It’s sick and twisted and psychopathic. Let’s work on humans not doing these shady things for profit and personal gain and use the criteria of being cruelty-free to factor in to every decision-making !!

          1. Had always loved him as an actor!! aLWAYS LOVED HIM!! NO MORE, EVER! FAR AS I’M CONCERNED, HE SIT RIGHT THERE WITH MICHAEL VICK,& everybody in the realm of CRUELTY, COLDBLOODED, SO-CALLED HUMANS!! SURE HOPE ALL WILL BOYCOTT ANYTHING HE DOES!! SHAME, SHAME, SHAME!!!

  10. Amanda says:

    Always was a fan…no longer a fan.

  11. Veronica says:

    Amazing that TMZ got this story too. The nephew sounds like an idiot.

  12. Carolyn Allen says:

    Hunting??? No, it’s a slaughter by some rich assholes who aren’t man enough and skillfull enough to go into the woods and hunt a deer where the deer at least have a chance to get away. Disgusting and cruel Mr. McConaughey!!!!

Comments are closed.