🦊💔 In Memory of Mikayla Raines, Founder of Save A Fox
I don’t have the words—but I’m trying. Mikayla was more than just a figure in the rescue world. She was a wife. She was a mother. She was a colleague. A friend to many. A force. And now, her death is a devastating loss and a gut punch to those of us who’ve stood in the fire that is animal rescue.
Mikayla died by suicide earlier this month.
And part of what led her there?
The harassment. The cruelty. The targeted online takedown campaigns—many of them launched by people claiming to care about animals.
Over the past few years, Mikayla became the subject of serious accusations posted on sites like Reddit (notably the now-private r/SaveAFoxSnark) and Tumblr. These claims alleged abuse, neglect, and unethical behavior at her rescue. Some of the worst included:
That animals died in her care due to neglect
That she “supported” the fur industry by buying foxes from fur farms
That she prioritized social media content over actual animal welfare
And even extreme, completely unfounded claims of sexual abuse of animals
Let me be clear: there is no verifiable evidence supporting any of these accusations. No investigations. No lawsuits. No veterinary reports. No credible whistleblowers stepping forward. Just anonymous posts, speculation, and harassment amplified by online mob mentality.
Yes—foxes died in her care. Because she rescued them from fur farms and hoarding situations where their health was already compromised. That’s the hard truth of rescue: we don’t always get to save them all. But we try. With everything we have.
Yes—she purchased foxes from fur farms. It’s controversial. But it’s not rare. Many rescuers pay out of pocket to save animals from slaughter when surrender isn't an option. These foxes were born in captivity. They couldn’t survive in the wild. Her choice was life or death.
Yes—she lost her license in one city. In 2017, Lakeville, Minnesota pulled her permit for housing more foxes than allowed. She raised $60K, moved to a larger facility, and kept going. That's not abuse—that's resilience and resourcefulness under pressure.
Mikayla lived with autism, depression, and borderline personality disorder. Her husband, Ethan, shared that she was deeply sensitive and deeply hurt by the rumors and cruelty. And sadly, that pain became too much.
This tragedy doesn’t just belong to her family or her followers. It belongs to all of us in the rescue community. Because this is what unchecked cruelty and performative “accountability” can lead to. We lost someone who dedicated her life to giving voiceless creatures a chance.
This isn’t about idolizing Mikayla. It’s about calling out the toxic culture that turns baseless accusations into weapons. That feeds on controversy and tears people down under the guise of justice.
Please—before you share a post, join a dogpile, or believe a thread, look for truth. Look for proof. We owe that to each other.
To every rescuer out there who’s tired, who feels targeted, who’s questioning if this fight is still worth it—you are not alone. You are not the only one hurting. And your work matters more than the noise ever will.
Mikayla’s legacy should be the thousands of foxes she saved. Not the cruel rumors that tried to define her.
Let’s honor her with compassion. Let’s protect each other better.
Good Lord every time I see rich people doing something big and pointless all that I can think is that they should spend this money helping someone that needs it... I dont care if they help between the family or complete strangers, I just feel bad about spending all that money when there is so many people having a hard time
For fantasy is true, of course. It isn’t factual, but it is true. Children know that. Adults know it too, and that is precisely why many of them are afraid of fantasy. They know that its truth challenges, even threatens, all that is false, all that is phony, unnecessary, and trivial in the life they have let themselves be forced into living. They are afraid of dragons because they are afraid of freedom.
Ursula K. Le Guin, from her essay “Why Are Americans Afraid of Dragons?”
