YOUTUBE star and founder of animal rescue organisation Save A Fox Mikayla Raines has died by suicide, aged 29.
The tragic influencer‘s husband confirmed she took her own life on Monday, before emotionally blasting a targeted online bullying campaign.
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Mikayla, who had amassed over 500,000 followers on Instagram alone, dedicated herself to rescuing wildlife.
The YouTube account of her organisation Save A Fox – which has locations in Florida and Minnesota – has over 2.4 million subscribers.
The mum-of-one started the Minnesota-based nonprofit to save and rehabilitate foxes and other exotic animals.
She began working with animals at the age of 15 when she started volunteering with a wildlife rehabilitator.
The early work inspired the charitable activist to launch Save A Fox in 2016 when she was just 20 years old.
Her husband Ethan announced the animal rights worker’s passing in a heartbreaking video on social media.
In the emotional 11-minute video, he revealed that Mikayla had been the target of a lengthy online harassment campaign.
He claimed the abuse came from not just strangers, but also people she knew – as well as others in the animal rescue community.
Ethan said: “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.”
He told how some of the more recent “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,” he noted.
Ethan also revealed that Mikayla had been suffering from severe mental health challenges, including depression, autism and borderline personality disorder.
She had also undergone years of therapy and different medications.
He said of his tragic wife: “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 added: “She was never in it for fame money or personal gain.
“She was truly one of the most selfless people I have ever known.”
He also said that Mikayla’s sudden passing was “a loss that is unimaginable”.
“Mikayla was truly the most amazing and inspiring individual I have ever known, and not having her here makes everything feel empty,” he said.
“I feel broken.”
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Mikayla was born on March 5 1996.
Her online presence soared alongside Save A Fox, which eventually grew into the largest fox rescue operation in the US.
Mikayla is survived by Ethan, their daughter Freya, and the countless animals she cared for at Save A Fox.
Ethan has vowed to continue her legacy and the mission of the rescue.
Fans and those in the animal rescue community paid tribute to the online star.
Nonprofit animal organisation Juniper Wildlife Refuge said: “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.”
They continued: “We will all carry a small piece of her light that lives on through them.
“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.”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255), chat on 988lifeline.org, or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
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