Maya Higa Went From Streaming Animals on Twitch to Expanding Alveus Into Species Recovery

Maya Higa started streaming wildlife rehabilitation while she was still in college. Since then, the Twitch creator has turned that early conservation content into Alveus Sanctuary, a nonprofit wildlife facility that is now preparing to expand into endangered species recovery.

Alveus began as a way to use livestreaming for conservation education, giving rescued and non-releasable animals a role as ambassadors for their species. The organization is now developing a Research & Recovery Institute that will take its work beyond education and into conservation breeding, research, and recovery programs.

Higa was studying agricultural education when she began streaming music alongside wildlife rehabilitation from her backyard.

As her audience grew, she started using Twitch to talk more directly about animals and conservation. That eventually led to the idea for Alveus, which Higa began planning in late 2020.

She officially founded Alveus Sanctuary in February 2021 and purchased a 15-acre property in Texas. A 20-hour fundraising stream that month raised more than $573,000 to help build the sanctuary and its first enclosures.

Later that year, Alveus began broadcasting its own educational programming, including Animal Quest, which uses individual animals to introduce viewers to wider conservation issues.

Rather than operating as a conventional public zoo, Alveus provides permanent homes for animals that cannot be released and uses them as ambassadors for their wild counterparts.

The sanctuary has continued building its online model through livestreams, educational videos, 24/7 animal cameras, and collaborations with other creators.

That gives viewers a chance to regularly follow individual animals before learning about the habitats, threats, and conservation work connected to their species.

Alveus has expanded significantly since opening, adding new enclosures and bringing in ambassadors including parrots, marmosets, wolfdogs, tortoises, emus, and other animals.

Its creator-focused approach has also remained central to the project. Streamers and online personalities regularly visit the sanctuary, allowing Alveus to bring conservation content to audiences that may not normally seek it out.

The next stage of Higa's project is the Alveus Research & Recovery Institute.

The planned facility will focus on conservation breeding, recovery ecology, conservation technology, and public participation in research. Alveus says its first Pixel Project fundraiser raised $1 million toward the institute's initial development, with further fundraising now underway.

Red wolves and Mexican gray wolves are among the first endangered species Alveus wants to support.

The organization says it will apply for acceptance to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Saving Animals From Extinction programs for both species. Those breeding programs have not started yet.

The institute represents a significant expansion of the work Higa originally brought to Twitch. Alveus is still using livestreaming to educate viewers, but it is now building toward a role in conservation programs designed to support endangered populations directly.