The Wildlife Sanctuary You Can Visit from Anywhere | Maya Higa | TED

The speaker aims to build the next generation of conservationists using the internet. Born in 1998, she grew up on a farm with many animals, fostering a love for them. At 18, in college, she became a zookeeper, taking animals to schools and parties to teach kids. She discovered Twitch, where she could live stream herself doing various activities and receive tips. One night, after a zookeeper friend called about a red-tailed hawk hit by a car, she rehabilitated the bird, named Bean, in her backyard. During a live stream, a viewer doubted her, so she brought Bean inside to show them. A short video of this moment went viral on Reddit, dramatically increasing her viewership. She began live streaming Bean's rehabilitation, engaging thousands of viewers. The zoo she worked at then allowed her to bring other animals home for her streams, effectively turning her outreach job into a work-from-home position, reaching thousands globally instead of 20 kids in a classroom. At 22, she planned to build an animal sanctuary that no one would visit in person. Animals would be rescued, housed in large enclosures, and live-streamed for conservation education. She envisioned funding this by raising all necessary capital in one live stream. This "crazy" idea worked when a viewer suggested she shave her head if they raised $500,000. In a 21-hour stream, they raised $573,000 for the sanctuary. She bought land in Austin, Texas, and built enclosures. The sanctuary, Alvea, now houses rescued animals like marmosets OA and Momo, fox Finn, and cow Winnie, each teaching about specific conservation issues. Viewers can donate $5 to feed Winnie treats via an automated feeder, which has generated over $38,000. Since 2019, she has raised over $7.5 million for conservation globally and reached over 250 million people with education in 2023 alone. Alvea has 36 cameras live streaming animals 24/7. Not being open to the public reduces animal stress and saves funding from guest facilities. This model provides an accessible "zoo" experience, free for anyone with internet. Alvea's online community, primarily 17-28 year olds, often join without prior environmental interest, discovering content on social media. The speaker believes this approach makes conservation accessible, unlike the distant heroism of figures like Steve Irwin. The next step is to extend Alvea's approach to the wild by breeding endangered species for reintroduction, starting with critically endangered wolves. The hope is that people will fall in love with these animals, fostering a new generation of conservationists fighting for wildlife from their homes.