Mikayla Raines, founder of "Save a Fox Rescue" just took her own life. 2 months ago she was seen on r/SaveAfoxSnark attempting to defend herself from her detractors. Here's how the subreddit's creator responded when she showed up: It's time to address "Snark" subreddits. 🧵
Back in April of 2024, reddit user u/Pale-Explanation-709 created r/SaveAfoxSnark after rumors of a bobcat biting a volunteer surfaced.
u/Pale-Explanation-709 would go on, posting unsubstantiated speculation about the "mysterious disappearance" of Dakota the Coyote or discussing "various injuries and deaths" at the rescue.
At one point, u/Pale-Explanation-709 used ChatGPT to write a laundry list of "ethical issues" surrounding the rescue, most of which don't appear to apply directly to SaveAFox.
Other users began posting to the subreddit as well. A video of Mikayla shooing a fox away with her foot was posted as evidence of her "Kicking a fox" The subreddit accused Mikayla "selling Ruby's fur" because Mikayla was selling Ruby's shed in little jars.
Mikayla became aware of this subreddit some time in the past 2 months. The official SaveAFox_Rescue Reddit account was seen multiple times since April attempting to defend the Rescue against her detractors.
Unfortunately, u/Pale-Explanation-709 had some choice words for Mikayla "Stick to OF if you don't want to deal with the public."
This subreddit was tiny. There were only 19 posts and 91 comments made over the course of a year. However, Mikayla's presence on r/SaveAfoxSnark indicates this "snark" subreddit's targeted attacks on her and the rescue deeply bothered her.
r/SaveAfoxSnark has since gone private, likely to dodge scrutiny following the news of Mikayla's passing.
This is just the tip of the iceberg The "Snark" phenomenon exploded in popularity on Reddit in Spring of 2022 (seemingly during the Josh Duggar's sentencing) "Snarkers" as snark subreddit users call themselves, are gossip-addicted women obsessed with 'taking down' influencers.
And this isn't the first time one of these "Snark" subreddits has had real-life consequences. In July of last year, r/FundieSnarkUncensored (a subreddit for targeting Christians) doxxed the Lott family during a beach trip, sending false claims of child abuse to the police.
Last month r/SydTowleSnark was banned after accusing a 25 year old woman with cancer of "faking it for clout"
In 2023, r/MadiaSnark relentlessly targeted Brianna Madia who ultimately hired a digital investigator to identify 200 "snarkers" who she claimed "turned her life into a living hell."
It's clear the "snark" subreddits are purpose built for targeted harassment. The "snarkers" who run them feign "concern" while attempting to destroy the lives of their targets. Unfortunately, this culture of harassment may have cost a life yesterday. Rest in Peace, Mikayla
