Meet Maya Higa: The Twitch creator turning wildlife education into must-watch content

When Maya Higa first started streaming on Twitch in 2019, she was a college student doing guitar covers in the music section. But it was an impromptu moment featuring a red-tailed hawk that would change the trajectory of her streaming career.

“I was telling my chat at the time, which was maybe 20 people, that I was a falconer and I was rehabilitating this red-tailed hawk in my backyard,” Higa recalls. “They were like, ‘No, he's not.’ So, I brought the bird out to show them, and then a clip of that went viral on Reddit. That's kind of how the streaming thing started.”

Building a platform for conservation education

Today, Higa's primary focus is conservation education through Alveus Sanctuary, which she founded in 2021. As Executive Director, she uses the unique interactive format of Twitch to connect viewers with animal ambassadors and teach them about protecting wildlife and natural spaces.

“It's a really powerful tool for education because of the live element and the chat,” Higa explains. “Viewers are able to ask questions in real time, and I can engage with them. It feels like they're learning from a friend rather than reading an article or watching a video you can't necessarily engage with.”

The impact of this approach is evident. Higa shares a particularly memorable experience involving Madagascar hissing cockroaches: “The first time I introduced these cockroaches, the whole chat was a sea of 'Kill it with fire' and 'Eww, yuck.' A few months later, when we had to humanely euthanize one of our aging cockroaches, the entire chat was filled with ‘Rest in peace’ messages. Seeing that 180-degree shift in how they perceived these animals was a big moment for me. It showed that this model really works.”

Creating authentic connections across formats and genres

While conservation education is her passion, Higa understands the importance of diversifying content on Twitch to reach different audiences. She maintains an engaging mix of lifestyle content, IRL streaming, and collaborations with other creators—all while staying true to her conservation mission.

“I think it makes me a better educator,” Higa shares. “It's easy for people in my demographic to see me be a person and then listen to me talk about things I'm passionate about. I think it makes me more relatable, and that helps get people to listen more.”

Collaboration has been key to Higa's growth on Twitch. “It's absolutely the best way to grow,” she explains. “The ability to stream with other people and share audiences is really powerful. At Alveus, we call it cross-pollination—because conservation—but we get to share audiences and grow that way.”

The power of creator-brand collaborations

When it comes to brand collaborations on Twitch, Higa seeks partnerships that align with her values and conservation mission. She points to a particularly successful collaboration with AMD during a birthday celebration for Winnie the Moo, a rescued cow at Alveus Sanctuary.

“AMD came in to sponsor Winnie the Moo’s birthday party,” Higa recalls. “We had this scavenger hunt where Winnie responds to a cowbell, and we played the cowbell off their new tablet. We would hide it in different places, and she would run to the tablet. It was so wholesome and creative—everyone was so into it.”

This type of authentic collaboration speaks to what audiences want—with the Beyond the Generational Divide research from Amazon Ads showing that consumers are 1.4X more unified by their shared values than by demographics like their generation.¹ When brands collaborate with streamers like Higa on initiatives that align with their shared values, they can foster meaningful connections with viewers of all backgrounds.

The future of conservation on Twitch

Looking ahead, Higa and Alveus Sanctuary are expanding their conservation efforts. In 2026, they plan to double in size and build a breeding and recovery center for endangered species. “It's conservation work that I thought I would only ever dream of,” she shares.

The expansion will include opportunities for brands to support conservation through title sponsorships of buildings, enclosures, and events. “We would love to have a breeding center or an enclosure sponsored by a brand,” Higa explains. “There will be lots of fundraising events online to launch this new site, and having title sponsors for these initiatives would be incredible.”

What makes Alveus unique is its approach to engaging viewers in conservation efforts. “Our goal is to have trackers and cameras on the animals we release, so viewers can really be their biggest fans after release,” Higa explains. “It's really meaningful conservation work to be contributing to wild populations, and it's all because of them.”

For Higa, success on Twitch isn't just about building a following—it's about creating meaningful change, one viewer at a time.

Sources

¹ Amazon Ads custom research with Strat7 Crowd.DNA. Beyond the Generational Divide: The new rules for consumer connection. Fielded December 2024 to January 2025. Data reflects AU, BR, CA, DE, ES, FR, IT, JP, MX, U.K., and U.S. aggregated. Base: All respondents (26,400), Gen Z (6,680), Millennials (6,680), Gen X (6,668), Baby Boomers (6,372).