I cannot begin to imagine the tummy aches that 40 year old meat would have caused. It’s not even practical, let alone humane. At a certain point, even a crook should realize the value of your ‘booty’ has depreciated dramatically. If you kill or sicken too many people in your region, the survivors will begin connecting the dots. I guess.
My dog would eat the heck out of 40 year old meat, until he puked. Then, a few minutes later, after we both have a good laugh, he’d eat the puke and ask for more chiggen. (He can’t say “chicken).
Years ago, IIRC, it was the National Geographic Society that cooked up and ate some mammoth that had been found frozen solid in ice for about 10,000 years.