13 And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. 

14 For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off. 

15 And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean. 

16 But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh; then he shall bear his iniquity.

These verses conclude the abolition of eating the blood of animals, stating that even when hunting one must drain the carcass of its blood and “cover it with dust.” This is clearly a burial action. Even though the animal may be retained for its hide or its meat, still the “life” of it that is within the blood must be shown reverence and laid to rest.

Then, in verse 15 we learn that if an animal died on its own, it was unclean to eat, no matter what species it was. Why would a slaughtered goat be clean to eat, but not one that fell to its death? There is no explicit explanation, but a thought that occurs to me is that an animal that is slaughtered for food, is killed to the purpose of eating by the butcher who slew it, whereas an animal that dies of natural causes, is killed by the world, and perhaps that means that the earth has rightful claim upon it. It is like how when a martyr dies for a worthy cause he dies to the Lord, whereas a man who succumbs to old age dies to this fallen world.