Mikayla Raines, a 29-year-old wildlife advocate and founder of SaveAFox Rescue, has tragically died by suicide.
Her death has sent shockwaves across the animal rescue and YouTube communities, where she was celebrated for her deep compassion and tireless efforts to save foxes from fur farms and unsafe homes.
Her husband, Ethan, confirmed the heartbreaking news in an emotional video posted online, revealing that Mikayla had long battled mental health challenges.
According to him, she was neurodivergent, with diagnoses related to autism, depression, and borderline personality disorder.
These conditions, he said, made her deeply sensitive to the barrage of cruelty she faced online.
“She couldn’t bear what she was feeling any longer,” Ethan shared. “What some of you think are just words have consequences. They break people. They broke her.”
Mikayla’s work began in Minnesota in 2017 when she turned her passion for foxes into a full-time mission.
Through her nonprofit, SaveAFox Rescue, she provided sanctuary for hundreds of foxes, many of them saved from unimaginable conditions.
Her YouTube channel, which featured heartwarming interactions with her rescued animals, drew in millions of followers and admirers from around the world.
But behind the viral videos and joyful moments was a woman quietly fighting a storm.
In recent years, Mikayla became the target of relentless online harassment — not just from internet trolls, but also from individuals within the rescue community she thought she could trust.
According to Ethan, the emotional toll of constant criticism, betrayal, and online abuse wore her down.
On the day of her death, Ethan tried to revive her after discovering what had happened, performing CPR until help arrived. Sadly, it was too late.
Now grieving and caring for their daughter Freya, Ethan says he is determined to keep Mikayla’s legacy alive.
“I will carry on her work. For her, for Freya, and for every fox she ever saved,” he said.
