"Shoot, shovel and shut up" is when someone illegally kills an animal and/or illegally disposes of the body without informing authorities. The procedure is used against wild or domestic animals, endangered species, or livestock.
Landowners might kill dogs, wolves, or other animals they consider to be a nuisance. Endangered animals, such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, are sometimes killed because their discovery would severely restrict the development of the land under the Endangered Species Act, which protects the habitats of threatened and endangered plant and animal species. The technique has even been used on cattle, without bringing them for BSE testing. BSE is bovine spongiform encephalopathy, which is also known as mad cow disease. Ranchers do not want BSE to be found in their herds because it will impact their ability to sell the cattle for meat.
