Tributes paid to animal rescue YouTuber Mikayla Raines who has died aged 29

Tributes have poured in for YouTube fox rescue star Mikayla Raines who has died by suicide aged 29.

Raines’ husband Ethan made the announcement in a video on social media, in which he revealed his wife had been subjected to horrific online abuse.

He claimed that the abuse was not only coming from strangers, but others in the animal rescue community, as well as people she knew.

Ethan explained: “They spread false rumors, and being the sensitive person she was, it deeply affected her.

“She tried for years to push through the pain, but this time it was too much.”

The 29-year-old’s passing has left many in the community shocked and saddened.

Who was Mikayla Raines?

Raines was an influencer in the animal rescue space and was the founder of the animal rescue organisation Save A Fox.

She had more than 500,000 followers on Instagram, where she documented her life rescuing and caring for animals, primarily foxes.

On YouTube, her Saveafox channel had more than 2.4 million subscribers.

The Save A Fox organisation has locations in Florida and Minnesota. It was started by Raines in 2016 when she was 20 years old. It grew into the largest fox rescue operation in the country.

Raines shared a daughter, Freya, with her husband, who has spoken out against the abuse she received in the lead up to her death.

What has been said about her death?

Husband Ethan announced her death in an emotional video shared across their social media channels.

In it, he said: “As many of you know she was on the autism spectrum and while that made her life very difficult it allowed her to hyperfocus on one thing and that one thing was obviously animals.

“From a young age she dedicated every waking hour of her life to helping them, whether it was helping a snapping turtle cross the road or saving 500 foxes from a terrible fur farm.”

He continued: “She was never in it for fame money or personal gain. She was truly one of the most selfless people I have ever known.”

Ethan claimed that Raines had been the victim of online abuse, and had been suffering from depression and borderline personality disorder, in addition to being on the autism spectrum.

“They spread false rumors, and being the sensitive person she was, it deeply affected her,” he said. “She tried for years to push through the pain, but this time it was too much.”

He said that more recently, “rude words, accusations and name-calling came from some of those she considered close friends”.

“I think all of this stems from jealousy and envy,” Ethan said.

Her husband said hers was “a loss that is unimaginable” and he felt “broken”.

“Mikayla was truly the most amazing and inspiring individual I have ever known, and not having her here makes everything feel empty,” he said.

How have her fans reacted?

Tributes have been made to Raines across social media.

“This is so tragic. So many in our community have foxes that only came to us because of Mikayla’s dedication to her mission and empathy toward animals. We will all carry a small piece of her light that lives on through them,” wrote a fellow fox rescuer.

“There are really no words to describe how sorry I am for your loss and the pain that you and all of her loved ones are suffering. I hope her memory continues to bring all of you strength.”

Another said: “This is so incredibly heartbreaking, Mikayla was an incredible person, and helped inspire me over a decade ago as we grew into operating animal rescues.”

Someone else wrote: “Oh no, I am so sorry for your loss. She has done more good in her short life than 1,000 people could do. She has saved hundreds of innocent souls from suffering. We are all proud of her, and we send our support from all over the world! Keep strong my brother.”

On YouTube, a viewer said: “Mikayla inspired me to become a wildlife rescuer and carer in Australia. I have saved thousands of animals, help educate new carers, public & have helped coordinate supply drops during bushfires. Her life impacted so many people. I hope the people responsible are prosecuted.”

Another said: “RIP Mikayla. She kept us going through the COVID lockdowns, which is where a lot of us became aware of her efforts and her mission of saving foxes. She’ll be missed greatly. Condolences.”

Rest in peace, Mikayla Raines.

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