Mikayla Raines and SaveAFox: The short life of a fox rescuer and what it tells us about fur

Videos of the fox Finnegan made SaveAFox known around the world. Behind them stood Mikayla Raines, the founder of a US rescue centre for foxes from fur farms, problematic private keeping and the trade in exotic animals. Raines died on 20 June 2025 in Minnesota.

In the comments on such videos, abridged and partly false versions of this story have circulated ever since. We set out what is documented and what is not, because this case deserves to be told accurately.

Who was Mikayla Raines

Mikayla Raines founded SaveAFox in 2017, at just 20 years of age. Her mission was at once simple and radical: to rescue non-human animals that would otherwise die for the fur industry. Over the years her centre took in hundreds of foxes, along with other non-human animals in need of help.

She obtained the necessary state and federal licences, completed courses in wildlife rehabilitation and built a facility in Minnesota where the foxes can lead a life in human care that is as species-appropriate as possible. Her videos, in which animals like Finnegan appeared to «laugh», made her known well beyond the borders of the USA. On YouTube she was followed by over two million people.

Why the foxes cannot be released into the wild

The same question keeps coming up in the comment sections: why aren't these foxes simply released back into the wild?

The answer is at the same time the strongest argument against the fur industry. SaveAFox primarily takes in foxes born in captivity, including animals from fur farms, surrendered former pets, and animals from problematic keeping conditions. Many of these captive-born foxes or foxes accustomed to humans are not considered fit for release into the wild. A release would involve considerable risks for them and would not be a responsible solution. This is precisely why they remain permanently in the care of the station. Each of these foxes is a living testament to what fur breeding does to a non-human animal: fur farming turns foxes into production objects. They are bred, kept, and killed so that their fur becomes a consumer product. For animals that have been bred in captivity over generations, release into the wild is often no longer a realistic rescue – yet another reason to question the breeding itself.

What is known about the hostilities

After her death, her husband Ethan Frankamp explained in a video that Mikayla Raines had suffered psychologically over a long period and had repeatedly been confronted with hostilities and rumours online. According to his account, people from her wider circle, including individuals connected to other animal welfare stations, had attacked her name and the work of SaveAFox for years; in the weeks before her death this had intensified. This account is the personal statement of her husband. It permits neither a simple explanation nor a specific attribution of blame for her death.

At this point editorial care is called for. The abbreviated version spread on social networks, «She was bullied, so she took her own life», does not do justice to reality. A suicide almost never has a single cause. What can be substantiated is the husband’s statement: a long history of psychological problems and escalating hostilities came together. What cannot be asserted as fact is a specific attribution of blame to a named platform or group. This distinction protects the deceased and everyone who reads this text and is themselves wrestling with similar thoughts.

The narrative circulating in comments that Finnegan died “of a broken heart” is a comforting image, but not a proven fact. SaveAFox only publicly confirmed his death months later; no such emotional cause was ever substantiated.

The quiet burden of animal welfare work

On top of this, those who commit themselves are repeatedly met with obstacles. Political inertia and economic interests hold back animal welfare in many places. Anyone who stands up for non-human animals therefore fights on two fronts at once: against the suffering itself and against the structures that permit it. This makes the work not only exhausting but, over the years, also disheartening. All the more important, then, to support and protect those who carry out this work.

What comes next for SaveAFox

SaveAFox is set to continue following the death of Mikayla Raines. Ethan Frankamp publicly stated that he intends to continue caring for the animals and carrying on the organisation's work. In addition to the site in Minnesota, there is also a location in Lake County in the US state of Florida.

What remains: wear no fur

The core message that Mikayla Raines conveyed with each of her videos remains as relevant as ever: wear no fur. Not as a coat, not as a collar, not as a supposedly harmless pom-pom on a child's hat. Behind fur products are animals bred, kept and killed for their pelts. Many of the foxes taken in by SaveAFox show the lasting consequences this system has for animals that can never be returned to the wild.

Anyone who avoids fur makes a decision that counts. It is the decision to which a young woman in Minnesota devoted her entire life.

If you or someone close to you is struggling, talk about it. In Switzerland, you can reach Die Dargebotene Hand around the clock on 143, and services for young people are available on 147. In Germany, the telephone counselling service can be reached on 0800 111 0 111 and 0800 111 0 222, and in Austria the emergency line is 142.