The wildlife sanctuary you can visit from anywhere | Maya Higa

Summary

TED Talks Daily – Episode Summary

Episode: The wildlife sanctuary you can visit from anywhere | Maya Higa
Date: May 12, 2026
Host: Elise Hu
Guest: Maya Higa, conservationist, Twitch streamer, and founder of Alveus Sanctuary

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Episode Overview

In this inspiring TED talk, Maya Higa shares how she harnessed the power of the Internet and social media to create Alveus Sanctuary—a wildlife rescue and educational center that no one visits in person, but millions experience online. Her mission is to build the next generation of conservationists by leveraging digital platforms for environmental outreach, fundraising, and education, all while prioritizing animal welfare. Higa recounts her unconventional path from zookeeper to viral streamer and details how Alveus has become a model for accessible, global conservation engagement.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Maya Higa’s Background and Inspiration

• Grew up on a farm with a deep love for animals.
• Worked as a zookeeper in college, providing educational animal outreach to kids.
• Accidental foray into livestreaming on Twitch, initially as a hobby.

Notable Quote:
“I was born in 1998, so I will get that out of the way right off the bat.” (03:34, Maya Higa)

2. Viral Moment and the Power of Social Media (04:36–06:20)

• Rehabilitated a red-tailed hawk ("Bean") and shared the process on Twitch.
• A viral video on Reddit led to a surge in viewership and new educational opportunities.
• Used livestreaming to reach thousands, transforming zoo animal outreach from in-person to a global scale.

Memorable Moment:
“I brought Bean...home to my college house. And I started to rehabilitate him in my backyard. ...I'm live streaming...and one of my viewers didn’t believe me. ...So I put my falconry glove on, and I brought the bird inside to show them, of course, because I have a problem.” (04:45–05:30, Maya Higa)

3. Founding Alveus Sanctuary (06:21–10:00)

• Developed the idea for a digital-first animal sanctuary where all engagement is virtual.
• Fundraised $573,000 in a single 21-hour livestream—significantly boosted by a promise to shave her head if they surpassed $500,000.

Notable Quote:
“So I’m livestreaming one day, and someone in my live chat said, Maya, if we raised $500,000, would you shave your head on stream? And I said, yeah, duh. ...Apparently that was pretty motivating.” (08:19–08:39, Maya Higa)

• Used the funds to buy land, build enclosures, and rescue animals—all supported by remote donations and engagement.

4. Animals of Alveus and Educational Model (10:01–11:30)

• Highlights of specific rescued animals:

  • Appa and Momo: Marmosets rescued from the pet trade, now used to educate about primate exploitation and rainforest conservation.
  • Finn and Reid: American red foxes from the illegal pet trade, used to educate about the fur trade.
  • Winnie the Moo: Cow rescued from livestock farming, highlights animal welfare and agriculture’s environmental impact.

• Developed creative donation systems, e.g., an automated treat dispenser for Winnie the Moo has raised $38,000.

Memorable Anecdote:
“One way that viewers can support the sanctuary is by feeding Winnie treats. So a $5 donation made online results in treats being dispensed via this automated feeder. To date, that treat feeder has generated over $38,000 in funding for the sanctuary. Isn’t that crazy? It’s a lot of treats. She’s a very happy cow.” (10:57–11:24, Maya Higa)

5. Impact and Reach (11:31–12:15)

• Over $7.5 million raised for conservation causes since 2019.
• In 2025, reached over 250 million people with conservation education.
• Alveus hosts 36 livestream cameras, providing 24/7 animal visibility without onsite visitors, reducing animal stress and operational costs.

Notable Quote:
“The beautiful thing about these live cameras is our animals are all blissfully unaware of the thousands of eyes on them at any given time.” (11:55, Maya Higa)

6. Redefining Conservation and Accessibility (12:16–13:30)

• Digital sanctuary broadens access, enabling anyone with Internet to participate.
• Audience primarily ages 17–28—future voters, consumers, and decision-makers.
• Most community members stumbled upon Alveus without prior conservation interest, showing the model’s effectiveness in outreach.

Key Insight:
“Alveus Sanctuary brings conservation to young people largely by meeting them where they already are, which is on social media.” (12:43, Maya Higa)

7. Looking Forward: Alveus Beyond the Sanctuary (13:31–14:10)

• Plans to breed endangered species for eventual reintroduction (starting with critically endangered wolves).
• Hopes to inspire deep, personal investment in wildlife and conservation among digital audiences.

Inspirational Close:
“Millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of brand new conservationists fighting for wildlife and wild places, all doing it from their homes.” (13:58, Maya Higa)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments with Timestamps

• “My mission is to use the Internet to build our next generation of conservationists. And I think it’s working.” (00:58 & 14:11, Maya Higa)
• “But the beautiful thing about these live cameras is our animals are all blissfully unaware of the thousands of eyes on them at any given time.” (11:55, Maya Higa)
• “At Alveus, that dream doesn’t feel so far off. For our viewers, Alveus is a dream that one of them achieved from within a space that they’re already a part of. And they get to be a part of it all live.” (13:05, Maya Higa)
• “We hold the future of this planet in our hands.” (12:50, Maya Higa)

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Important Segments (Timestamps)

• Maya’s Origin Story: (03:31–04:44)
• Bean the Hawk Goes Viral: (04:44–06:21)
• Sanctuary Fundraising and Head Shave Bet: (08:19–08:57)
• Spotlights on Rescued Animals and Donor Engagement: (10:01–11:24)
• Sanctuary Impact Statistics: (11:24–12:16)
• Vision for the Future and Conservation Model: (13:05–14:11)

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Final Thoughts

Maya Higa’s talk is a testament to the powerful synergy of technology, community, and conservation. By meeting young people where they are—online—she has transformed animal protection and environmental education, proving that global impact is possible from the comfort of home for both animals and aspiring conservationists. Her digital-first sanctuary model sets a precedent for inclusive and stress-free wildlife advocacy, and her next steps promise to deepen this impact even further.

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Transcript

[A]

You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. We hear a lot about what's wrong with the Internet. The misinformation, the addiction, the outrage cycles. But today, we're sharing something that's really right.

[B]

With it, our animals would be able to reach millions and millions of people without having to meet a single one of them in person.

[A]

That's content creator and conservationist Maya Higa, who built an animal sanctuary that no one can visit, but everyone can be a part of. She's a licensed falconer, one of the most popular streamers on Twitch, and the founder of Alvia's Sanctuary in Austin, Texas, a wildlife rescue powered entirely by people online from all over the world. In her talk, she shares how she turned social media into a conservation tool and why a model where the animals never meet their fans might actually be the best thing for them.

[B]

My mission is to use the Internet to build our next generation of conservationists. And I think it's working.

[A]

That's coming up right after a short break.

[C]

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[B]

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[C]

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[A]

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[B]

So my mission is to use the Internet to build our next generation of conservationists. And I have not been doing this for all that long. Okay, I was born in 1998, so I will get that out of the way right off the bat. But I'll tell you guys how I got started. So I grew up on a farm, and I always loved animals. So we had rabbits and horses and chickens, and you name it, we had it and I loved it. So then when I was 18 and in college, naturally I got a job as a zookeeper. So I put on the safari outfit and I would bring animals like kangaroos and lemurs to schools and birthday parties to teach kids about wildlife. So pretty cool job. It was really awesome. So then one night after work, I met some friends online who were livestreaming themselves playing video games on Twitch. And I had no idea what that meant, but I learned that I could broadcast myself live on this website doing whatever I wanted. So I could cook or I could sing, or I could play video games. And if people enjoyed watching it, they would send me tips. So cash. Like actual, real money. And as a college student, that's pretty freaking sweet. So I started streaming to about 10 viewers at a time almost every day. Then one night, after one of these livestreams, I got a call from a zookeeper friend about this red tailed hawk who had been hit by a car and he needed help. So we brought Bean, that's what we called him, home to my college house. And I started to rehabilitate him in my backyard. So then one night, I'm live streaming, I'm Cooking. I'm talking about this new hawk in my backyard. And one of my viewers didn't believe me. They didn't believe that I had a bird in my backyard, and I could not have that. So I put my falconry glove on, and I brought the bird inside to show them, of course, because I have a problem. And one of the people watching this stream made a short video of this moment, and they shared it on Reddit, and it went viral. So my viewership shot up overnight, and I started live streaming Bean's rehabilitation process. So I'd call him from his perch to my glove, and the people watching my streams started becoming as invested as I was in his recovery. It was like they were doing it with me, sort of, which was the coolest thing that I've ever done. And then eventually, because I was reaching so many people with Bean's story, the zoo that I worked at started allowing me to bring animals like cockatoos and reptiles home to present on my live stream. So suddenly, somehow, I had turned this zoo outreach job that I had into a work from home situation. Right? Which is awesome. But 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. So then, two years later, at 22 years old, I came up with a plan. And the vision was to build an animal sanctuary that nobody visits, or at least not in person. So we would rescue animals and build huge animal enclosures, and we would live stream conservation education programs online so people could fall in love with our animals the way that they fell in love with Bean, that bird. Our animals would be able to reach millions and millions of people without having to meet a single one of them in person. And then, of course, I would fundraise all of the capital to do all of these things and build this entire facility in one single live stream, which is the craziest idea that I've ever had, but this is crazier. It worked somehow. So I'm livestreaming one day, and there's some. Oh, thank you. Whoa. I'll take the applause. Thank you so much. So I'm livestreaming one day, and someone in my live chat said, maya, if we raised $500,000, would you shave your head on stream? And I said, yeah, duh. Because who wouldn't do that? Who in the right mind wouldn't do that? Apparently that was pretty motivating though, because over the course of a 21 hour long live stream, we fundraised $573,000 to build the sanctuary. So I bought some land in Austin, Texas, started building animal enclosures, and I started growing my hair back. That takes about two years, in case anyone was curious. So next up was rescuing animals. Okay, so Appa and Momo are marmosets. They're these very tiny, very, very charming new world monkeys. Someone originally bought them as pets online, but then after years of inadequate care, they were brought to us for rehabilitation. So they now live at Alveos to help teach people about the exploitation of primates in the pet trade and about the importance of conserving their rainforest habitats too. They also have a little iPad to play games on now. Very, very cute. Finn is an American red fox who was confiscated from the illegal pet trade in California. So he and his best friend Reid now live at Alveus to help teach people about the nightmare that is the fur trade, helping to build a new generation of fur free consumers. Then there's Winnie the Moo. She's a cow. She was rescued from a beef operation in Oklahoma. She lives at Alvez to help teach people about commercial agriculture and how it impacts animal welfare and our planet. One way that viewers can support the sanctuary is by feeding Winnie treats. So a $5 donation made online results in treats being dispensed via this automated feeder. To date, that treat feeder has generated over $38,000 in funding for the sanctuary. Isn't that crazy? It's a lot of treats. She's a very Happy cow. Since 2019, through live streaming, I have raised over $7.5 million for conservation causes across the globe. In 2025 alone, we reached over 250 million people with conservation education online. It's over 10 million classrooms, just like the ones that I was bringing zoo animals to in college just in the last year. Alvez is now home to rescued parrots and emus and monkeys and wolf dogs and more. And we have those 36 cameras that are live streaming them 24 hours a day. But the beautiful thing about these live cameras is our animals are all blissfully unaware of the thousands of eyes on them at any given time. Not being open to the public means that our animals are less stressed by the unpredictable factors that come with people visiting. Right? It also means that we've never had to divert any of our funding to guest experiences like gift shops and concession stands and parking lots. But one of the most positive benefits is we've developed one of the most accessible zoom models in the world. Anyone with an Internet connection can visit our animals for free from their device from anywhere on the planet. And they do. Our online demographic, our online community, they range from about 17 to 28 years old. We are our nation's new voters, new consumers, and up and coming decision makers. We hold the future of this planet in our hands. But most of our online community didn't even join with an interest in environmentalism at all. They are just normal people, Internet users who stumbled across our content in one of their many, many feeds. Alvea Sanctuary brings conservation to young people largely by meeting them where they already are, which is on social media. But before social media, TV programming was establishing the best examples of conservationists, right? Heroes like Steve Irwin and David Attenborough and Jane Goodall. These are obviously some of my personal heroes, probably some of yours, as well as they should be. These guys rock, right? But for most of us, it can be really hard to see ourselves in such legends. It leaves us feeling like that work is just a far off dream that only other people achieve. But at Alvez, that dream doesn't feel so far off. For our viewers, Alveus is a dream that one of them achieved from within a space that they're already a part of. And they get to be a part of it all live. So we're just getting started. Our next step is taking this Alveus approach to the wild. We're building a new facility where we're going to breed endangered species at Alveus for reintroduction and release into the wild. We're starting with the recovery of critically endangered wolves. Our sincere hope is that people will fall in love with these wolves the way that they fell in love with Bean, that bird from college. We hope that they'll care really deeply about these individuals and then in turn about the wild places that we return them to. Millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of brand new conservationists fighting for wildlife and wild places, all doing it from their homes. So my mission is to use the Internet to build our next generation of conservationists. And I think it's working. Thank you.

[A]

That was Maya Higa at TED 2026. If you're curious about TED's curation, find out [e-mail] curationguidelines and that's it for today. TED Talks Daily is part of the TED Audio Collective. This talk was fact checked by the TED research team and produced and edited by our team. Martha Estefanos, Oliver Friedman, Brian Greene, Lucy Little and Tansika Songmarniewong. This episode was mixed by Christopher Faizy Bogan. Additional support from Emma Tobner and Daniela Balaurazo. I'm Elise Hu. I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh idea for your feedback. Thanks for listening. This episode is sponsored by Peloton Good design has a way of solving problems you didn't know you had, like the mental overhead of planning a workout, deciding what to do, how many reps, whether your form is right. It's friction that pulls you out of the experience before you've even started. The Peloton Cross Training Tread plus, powered by Peloton iq, builds a workout roadmap that's completely yours. So you can stop overthinking and just move it handles rep counting and form correction in real time, and builds weekly plans around the instructors who match your mood, vibe and personality. The only thing you have to think about is how good it feels to let go. And when you're ready to shift from a run to strength work, one spin of the swivel screen takes you there without losing momentum. The best solutions don't add complexity, they remove it. Let yourself run, lift, fail, try and go Explore the new peloton cross training tread [e-mail]

[D]

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[B]

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[E]

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[B]

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[C]

F.