Wildlife conservationist Maya Higa couldn’t hold back tears during a recent stream after her community raised an overwhelming amount of money to repair the flood-damaged access road at Alveus Sanctuary. The non-profit wildlife conservation center near Austin, Texas, faced a crisis when torrential rains washed out the main road, threatening daily operations and emergency access.
What started as a desperate situation quickly turned into a showcase of community support. Over several days, a brigade of well-known streamers including Cinna, Emiru, Leanbeefpatty, Arther, Peachjars, Knut, Wake, Esfand, Sketch, Zoil, and Simply showed up in person to help with physical repairs, trading their usual streaming setups for shovels and wheelbarrows.
The repair efforts were streamed live, letting viewers see the hard work up close while highlighting the urgent need for funds. Donations poured in at an unexpected rate, quickly surpassing the initial fundraising target for road repairs.
“All the animals and staff are fine,” Maya assured viewers, explaining that the damage was limited to the access road rather than the animal habitats or main buildings. Still, the road is critical for daily operations, allowing staff access and emergency vehicles to reach the sanctuary if needed.
Founded by Maya in 2020, Alveus serves as both a sanctuary for unreleasable animals and an educational platform for conservation awareness. The organization runs entirely on donations and content creation revenue, with Maya famously taking a $0 salary (later adjusted only for health insurance reasons) and charging just $1 per year for land use.
The surplus funds raised beyond immediate road repair needs will support future sanctuary projects, including a breeding and release program for endangered species planned for 2026 and improvements to bird of prey enclosures.
