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The wildlife sanctuary you can visit from anywhere | Maya Higa

May 12, 2026 • 11m

Summary

⏱️ 8 min read

Overview

Content creator and conservationist Maya Higa shares her innovative approach to wildlife conservation by building Alveus Sanctuary, an animal rescue facility in Austin, Texas that nobody visits in person. Instead, she leverages social media and live streaming to reach millions globally, turning the internet into a powerful conservation tool. Through her journey from college zookeeper to founder of a sanctuary funded entirely by online supporters, she demonstrates how digital platforms can create accessible, engaging conservation education while keeping rescued animals stress-free and building the next generation of environmentalists.

From Zookeeper to Streaming Pioneer

Maya's conservation journey began on a farm and led to a zookeeper job at 18, where she brought animals to schools and birthday parties. After discovering Twitch, she started live streaming to about 10 viewers while in college. When she rescued an injured red-tailed hawk named Bean and streamed his rehabilitation, a viral Reddit video changed everything overnight, transforming her zoo outreach work into a digital phenomenon reaching thousands instead of 20 kids at a time.

  • Maya grew up on a farm with various animals and became a zookeeper at age 18, bringing animals like kangaroos and lemurs to schools and birthday parties
  • She discovered Twitch and began live streaming to about 10 viewers, learning she could earn tips from people who enjoyed watching
  • After rescuing an injured red-tailed hawk named Bean, she brought him on stream to prove to a viewer she had a bird, and the moment went viral on Reddit
  • Her viewership shot up overnight as she streamed Bean's rehabilitation process, with viewers becoming deeply invested in his recovery
  • The zoo began allowing her to bring animals like cockatoos and reptiles home to present on stream, transforming her job into a work-from-home situation
" Instead of reaching 20 kids at a time in a classroom, I was reaching thousands of people at a time all over the world. "
" So this was when it really clicked for me, right? I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. But I wanted to do it at a much, much larger scale. "

The Crazy Fundraising Vision That Worked

At 22 years old, Maya conceived an audacious plan to build an animal sanctuary that nobody would visit in person, funded entirely through one live stream. The vision was to rescue animals, build large enclosures, and live stream conservation education to millions without animals ever meeting visitors. When a viewer challenged her to shave her head if they raised $500,000, she agreed, and incredibly, they raised $573,000 in a 21-hour live stream to launch Alveus Sanctuary.

  • At age 22, Maya developed a vision to build an animal sanctuary that nobody visits in person, where animals could reach millions through live streaming
  • The plan was to fundraise all capital to build the entire facility in one single live stream
  • A viewer challenged her to shave her head if they raised $500,000, which she accepted
  • Over a 21-hour live stream, they raised $573,000 to build the sanctuary, and she bought land in Austin, Texas
" Our animals would be able to reach millions and millions of people without having to meet a single one of them in person. "
" Maya, if we raise $500,000, would you shave your head on stream? And I said, yeah, duh, because who, who wouldn't do that? Who in their right mind wouldn't do that? "

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