From video's i've seen on Youtube i noticed that some people who play Skyrim kill every animal that crosses their path. Personally, i'm a animal lover and i will never kill animals, unless they are a direct treat to me.

Here's a list of animals i don't kill:

Mudcrabs
Horkers
rabbits
Mammoths
Goates
Deers
Dogs
Cows
Horses
Foxes
Chickens
Birds

What is your point of view on animals in Skyrim? And do you kill them?

Unless the animal attacks me first, I don't attack it.

I have also taken to using Kynes Peace to avoid battling the otherwise hostile animals. Not their fault that I am indigestible.

This is exactly how I play also. This goes for NPCs as well (mostly).

All non hostile because it adds to your assault stats, and as a result people will start to hate you by default.

I sometimes use that thu'um on mammoths when i come to close to them and they attack me.

As long as I don't get attacked first, I am fine with it.

^ This.
Except bunnies.. Must slaughter them! :p

Horkers (I don't do it but sometimes followers are too fast at it)
rabbits (Bunnies Slaughtered = 0)
Mammoths (Mammoths and Giants are too twitchy so I avoid them always)
Goats (never)
Deers (never)
Dogs (never but I'd like to shove Barbas off a cliff like he did me)
Cows (never)
Horses (never)
Foxes (never and sometimes their health is low so I heal them)
Eagles & Chickens (never)

I use Kynes Peace a lot and try to avoid killing the larger creatures too.

I will NEVER hurt a fox, except for hostile ones like Pumpkin. They are too cute...
Pretty much everything else is fair game, and I kill all the [censored] bears that I find. I'm kinda like that one woman from Ivarstead. I HATE BEARS!

Like others I don't kill any animals unless they attack me first.
And for most characters I've played this goes for people as well.

I currently have six characters. It depends on which character I am playing how they behave in relation to killing animals. Some are hunters, some are killers in general, some are peaceful, and kill only for defense or food.

No animal's if they don't attack me first. Though one of my char's had 1 bunny slaughtered and I'm not even sure how that happened.

I don't usually kill animals if I see them, but I don't have any qualms against doing so if I feel like it and I have killed plenty of them all before - including rabbits.

Sometimes its a neccessaty to kill bears and sabre cats. I try to avoid them, but sometimes its too late.


Rude bastard!


I once killed a follower for killing a goat. What can i say, i like animals more than humans.

It entirely depends on my character and his personality. Although none of my characters have ever killed a bunny. No, no; I could never bring myself to harm a cute innocent cuddley fluffeh bunneh!

My Bosmer hunter kills anything (apart from rabbits) because he lives off the land. But to sum it all up, on my other characters, I'll only attack an animal if it attacks me first, really.

I join the club. I kill no animal. Not until it is necessary, because it attacks me.

I will go out of my way to whack a rabbit with a war hammer... if i have one..

omg, I've done this too.

I don't kill any natural animals. If my Kyne's Peace shout is down, I'll usually let a bear, wolf, etc hit me and ignore it as I keep running.
I sent Lydia to Boethia because she was living in the house with my dog and she didn't like him. The constant verbal abuse of "Stupid dog" meant she had to go. If she couldn't be a decent member of my household, she could have at least kept her mouth shut. Seems it was her who was stupid.

I also resurrect any dead animals I see in my travels. if they are hostile animals, I make sure I have a Kyne's Peace shout ready for when they return to the realm of the living.

I'll never live down the disappointment with myself when my first character sent a wild arrow loose and it one-shotted a bunny.

I also don't kill animals that do not pose an immediate threat to me and even then, if I can out manuever them and can avoid combat I will. I've run right through the middle of Horkers and not engaged them, same with Mudcrabs (though I do admit that if I'm looking for ingredients I will snipe Mudcrabs).

Now, bears, wolves, sabre cats are all considered threats to me because I've been chased across the map by them they will be murdered with extreme prejudice even if they are not an immediate threat to me.

Leave all the small fluffy animals alone, but if a wolf/sabre cat/bear attacks me I will retaliate, plus I might need their hides for some leather. I did go on a small animal killing spree once because I was greedy and wanted to fill some soul gems but its never a pointless kill.

I don't kill animals that are not normally hostile. I will sometimes kill animals that I know will become hostile if I get close (like Bears or Wolves). Because I feel like if I don't they might kill some innocent traveler.

I even try to not kill Horkers. If they become hostile I try to back off and let them be. Unfortunately my companions tend to want to kill them if they every become "red dots".

I hunt deer for leather! foxes run from my axe! bears hide in caves because they know i wont enter!

I have never ever seen a bear or wolf not attack. I've been chased by both and Sabre Cats over mountains when I was on the road. They've literally come at me from across the map. So, I kill them with impunity even if they are no where near me. If I hear one, it's dead. Half the time, I don't even take their hides. Just my arrows.

I LOVE ANIMALS! Especially with ketchup.

That said, and the fact that this is a video game that lacks cute kittens, the wildlife suffers my wrath....all of it. Dragon shouts bunnies and foxes make for a fun distraction when hiking to Riften.

I used to hunt deer for leather/venison, but since my smithing maxed, there hasn't been any occasion to. Food, aside from personal role playing reasons, is practically useless without a "hardcoe" mode, so I only defend myself against predator attacks. I'd probably cast fear, but my illusion is not up to snuff... Yet. =p