diff --git a/components/sceneutil/skeleton.cpp b/components/sceneutil/skeleton.cpp
index 9f646ade5c..45ccefe6e5 100644
--- a/components/sceneutil/skeleton.cpp
+++ b/components/sceneutil/skeleton.cpp
@@ -80,15 +80,16 @@ Bone* Skeleton::getBone(const std::string &name)
         {
             if (bone->mChildren[i]->mNode == matrixTransform)
             {
-                child = bone->mChildren[i];
+                child = bone->mChildren[i].get();
                 break;
             }
         }
 
-        if (!child)
+        if (child == nullptr)
         {
-            child = new Bone;
-            bone->mChildren.push_back(child);
+            auto childBone = std::make_unique<Bone>();
+            child = childBone.get();
+            bone->mChildren.push_back(std::move(childBone));
             mNeedToUpdateBoneMatrices = true;
         }
         bone = child;
@@ -165,13 +166,6 @@ Bone::Bone()
 {
 }
 
-Bone::~Bone()
-{
-    for (unsigned int i=0; i<mChildren.size(); ++i)
-        delete mChildren[i];
-    mChildren.clear();
-}
-
 void Bone::update(const osg::Matrixf* parentMatrixInSkeletonSpace)
 {
     if (!mNode)
diff --git a/components/sceneutil/skeleton.hpp b/components/sceneutil/skeleton.hpp
index 10f4640249..7ca4887999 100644
--- a/components/sceneutil/skeleton.hpp
+++ b/components/sceneutil/skeleton.hpp
@@ -15,20 +15,15 @@ namespace SceneUtil
     {
     public:
         Bone();
-        ~Bone();
 
         osg::Matrixf mMatrixInSkeletonSpace;
 
         osg::MatrixTransform* mNode;
 
-        std::vector<Bone*> mChildren;
+        std::vector<std::unique_ptr<Bone>> mChildren;
 
         /// Update the skeleton-space matrix of this bone and all its children.
         void update(const osg::Matrixf* parentMatrixInSkeletonSpace);
-
-    private:
-        Bone(const Bone&);
-        void operator=(const Bone&);
     };
 
     /// @brief Handles the bone matrices for any number of child RigGeometries.