How a wildlife conservationist is saving animals with online streaming

How a wildlife conservationist is saving animals with online streaming

From TED Tech by TED Tech

June 5, 2026 · 29 min

About this episode

Maya Higa discusses her innovative approach to wildlife conservation through livestreaming on Twitch.

Wildlife conservationist Maya Higa did something extraordinary – and surprising. In only 21 hours, Maya reached over a million people and raised more than half a million dollars to fund a wildlife sanctuary – by livestreaming on Twitch.  Following her talk at TED2026, Maya sat down for a special interview with Sherrell to discuss how the internet is creating  a novel, non-invasive way for people to learn about – wildlife rehabilitation, discusses the benefits of reaching a new audience through digital platforms, and shares advice she has for young people on finding what you love online. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Sherrell

Guest: Maya Higa

Topics covered

  • wildlife conservation
  • livestreaming
  • digital platforms
  • fundraising
  • youth engagement

Keywords

  • wildlife
  • conservation
  • livestream
  • Twitch
  • fundraising
  • digital engagement
  • TED

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Twitch, TED

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