MIKAYLA

My name is Mikayla Raines and I am the founder of SaveAFox Rescue. I have always loved all animal species but I found my love for foxes at the age of 15 when I met my very first fox while volunteering for a wildlife rehabber. At that time, I knew I wanted a fox in my life but I had never planned on starting a rescue or even having multiple foxes! My love for these animals was recognized in 2015 and I was offered a captive-born red fox to bottle raise and keep (as captive-born foxes could never legally be wild). Although not a true rescue, she was my very first red fox, I named her Farrah Foxett. Owning a fox opened a whole new world for me. Because of how often I would want to share about her with

the world I was then put in touch with fur farmers. Fur farms are something I never even knew was an active business in the U.S. After rescuing my first three fox pups from a fur farm (rejected by mother fox) I had begun my rescue. This required no college although I had already been going to college to be a vet tech. I didn’t complete it as I had left to save foxes instead!

 

🦊 Much of my animal care knowledge was learned from taking those college courses and additionally taking years of wildlife rehabilitation classes through the DNR. So, I highly suggest both! For my State and for what we do here at the rescue I was required to obtain a few licenses. “captive wildlife exhibitor” “DNR game farm” and “USDA”. I keep a good rapport with the fur farmers as they are kind enough to give injured, Ill, adult, and rejected fox pups to the rescue. But that is only where half of our foxes come from. MANY of the foxes here are surrenders. Surrendered foxes are also captive-born foxes. They were once sold from breeders to someone for a pet. Most don’t understand what it is like to have a fox until they have one. They are destructive, and not fully potty trainable which leads many to give them up. Even some good fox parents have had to give theirs up due to life’s unexpected circumstances.

🦊 I originally started up this rescue on my own. But now we have many GREAT volunteers. But there are still a few things only I do. I manage the rescue IG page @saveafox_rescue, I keep up with our licenses, I bottle raise all fox pups that come to us un-weaned, I take foxes to their vet appointments, and I manage to fundraise.

🦊 Fox chores, building enclosures, fox socialization, Toddler foxes, FB page, fox errands (picking up supplies), and funding I all have assistance with. Of course, this rescue wouldn’t exist without all our wonderful sponsors and donors. 📷