Alveus Sanctuary
Alveus Sanctuary is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that houses non-releasable exotic animals and provides online conservation education, primarily through 24/7 live-streamed content on Twitch.tv and produced content on YouTube.[4][5] The name Alveus is borrowed from Latin alveus ("the channel or bed of a river").
| Formation | February 2021[1] |
|---|---|
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) charitable organization |
| Purpose | Conservation and online education |
| Headquarters | Austin, Texas, U.S. |
Region served | Worldwide |
Official language | English |
Executive Director | Maya Higa[2] |
Revenue (2021) | $763,380[3] |
| Expenses (2021) | $144,411[3] |
| Website | www.alveussanctuary.org |
History and funding edit
Maya Higa founded Alveus in February 2021, with a 21-hour-long live stream to raise initial capital to fund the sanctuary. The live stream raised over $500,000, with donations over $100 receiving a metal leaf that would be displayed at Alveus.[6][7] An auction was also held during the stream that included a pair of loafers from T-Pain, and an hour with streamer Shroud, which was won by Ludwig Ahgren with a $53,000 donation.[8][9]
Alveus continues to use the live streams on Twitch as their main way to educate their audience on conservation, and to raise funds to continue operating. Since their founding, Alveus has raised over $1,000,000 through donations on their streams.[10] Alongside accepting donations at any time on the stream, they also host many dedicated fundraising events, such as their 2022 Art Auction that sold off paintings created by the ambassadors at the sanctuary for donations, raising over $40,000 during the single event.[11]
Other content creators also help to raise funds for Alveus, through collaboration streams at Alveus, or through dedicated fundraising events for Alveus. At DreamHack Atlanta 2022, Ludwig raised $315,000 during his 50-hour-long glass box stream, with 50% of that being donated to Alveus.[12][13] Fellow streamers Britt and Malena held a fundraising live stream for Alveus in November 2022 and raised over $20,000 for the sanctuary, during a period of time where Higa had stepped away from streaming.[14]
In April 2023, the new CEO of Twitch, Dan Clancy, visited Alveus to meet the staff and ambassadors.[15][16] Clancy also donated his first month of earnings from his personal Twitch stream to Alveus.[17]
Conservation and education efforts edit
Alveus takes in animals for a variety of reasons, some of them being non-releasable due to injuries, or confiscations from the pet trade, and so on, with 32 animals at the sanctuary currently. These animals act as ambassadors for their species, all with different stories and conservation missions.[18][19] These animal ambassadors are used in Alveus' educational content to allow viewers to build a connection to the specific animal, and then learn to care for the species as a whole. "I learned that model of people falling in love with an individual animal and then caring about their species and planet," Higa told KXAN. "If they knew, they would care, because they love these animals, and so my job is to be that bridge and teach people."[19]
Stompy, an emu, was the first ambassador at Alveus and helps educate viewers on the exotic meat trade, traditional medicine, and over exploitation of animal products in cosmetics. Higa hand-raised Stompy on many of her live streams as Alveus was initially built.[20] Other ambassadors at the sanctuary include macaws, american red foxes, a carpet python, donkeys, chinchillas, marmosets, and more.[10]
The sanctuary is based on 15 acres of land in Austin, Texas,[20] but is not open to the public due to safety concerns. Education at Alveus all happens online in a few different forms, from the 24/7 live cams of the ambassadors at the sanctuary, to collaborations with different content creators to spread the conservation messaging to a wider audience, and other produced content.[21] Higa hosts Animal Quest, a live series where each episode introduces viewers to an ambassador at the sanctuary, teaches them about their story, their species' importance to the environment, and what they can do to help.[19][22]
On April 4, 2023, Higa and Alveus teamed up with Twitch to host a weekly show called Nerve Center presented by Ally, a sponsored education show based around the animals at Alveus. The guests for this show featured a roster of online creators including Daily Dose of Internet, Lacari, Dareon and Caroline Kwan.[23][24][25]
Awards and nominations edit
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | The Streamer Awards | Best Shared Channel | Nominated | [26][27] |
References edit
- ^ "About Maya | Alveus Sanctuary". Alveus Sanctuary.
- ^ "Alveus Sanctuary Inc - GuideStar Profile". GuideStar.
- ^ a b "2021 | Annual Reports | Alveus Sanctuary". Alveus Sanctuary.
- ^ "AlveusSanctuary - Twitch". Twitch.tv.
- ^ "Alveus Sanctuary - YouTube". YouTube.
- ^ Asarch, Steven (February 12, 2021). "Twitch Streamer MayaHiga Raises $573,000 to Start Animal Sanctuary". Insider.
- ^ Gordon, Eden Arielle (February 16, 2021). "Twitch's "Bird Girl" Raises $500,000 For Animal Sanctuary: Is Twitch the Future of Fundraising?". Popdust.
- ^ Lee, Jonathon (February 12, 2021). "Twitch in disbelief over man's $53,000 bid to hang out with popular streamer". Yahoo Finance.
- ^ Conlan, Daniel (February 11, 2021). "Maya's charity auction huge success as she goes bald, Ludwig pays $53k for hour with shroud". GINX.
- ^ a b Vaske, Emma (April 13, 2023). "Texas Sanctuary Raises Money on Twitch". The Dallas Express.
- ^ Polhamus, Blaine (April 23, 2022). "Maya Higa auctions off over $40,000 of art pieces painted by animals for Alveus Sanctuary". Dot Esports.
- ^ Parker, Ellie (November 21, 2022). "DreamHack Atlanta attracts 27K fans from around the world". Atlanta News First.
- ^ Tsiaoussidis, Alex (November 21, 2022). "One glass box, 50 hours, and $300,000: Ludwig's IRL subathon at DreamHack, recapped". Dot Esports.
- ^ Tsiaoussidis, Alex (November 3, 2022). "Britt and Malena raise more than $20k during Alveus Sanctuary charity stream". Dot Esports.
- ^ Ng, Eric (April 13, 2023). "Twitch's new CEO defends job cuts, plans creator meeting". TradeAlgo.
- ^ "Maya talks about having the NEW Twitch CEO at Alveus" – via YouTube.
- ^ Serrano, Jody (July 15, 2023). . The Messenger. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023.
- ^ "Ambassadors | Alveus Sanctuary". Alveus Sanctuary.
- ^ a b c Thompson, Kelsey (April 6, 2023). "How a Texas sanctuary uses social media to highlight animal conservation needs". KXAN.
- ^ a b Hamilton, Tenijah (November 2, 2022). "The Streaming Sanctuary | BirdNote". BirdNote.
- ^ "Collaborations | Alveus Sanctuary". Alveus Sanctuary.
- ^ "Animal Quest | Alveus Sanctuary". Alveus Sanctuary.
- ^ @mayahiga (April 3, 2023). "I HAVE A NEW SHOW!!!! I teamed up with @Twitch Streamer Originals as the host for Nerve Center presented by @Ally. Tune into the first episode TOMORROW at 11am CT! #ad" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @twitch (April 11, 2023). "Our host for Nerve Center is none other than @mayahiga! What animals will she bring out for our guest @TheRealDareon today?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @twitch (Apr 12, 2023). "Our host for Nerve Center is none other than @maya_higa higa! What animals will she bring out for our guest today?". Retrieved May 28, 2023 – via Instagram.
- ^ "The Streamer Awards - Winners". The Streamer Awards.
- ^ Taifalos, Nicholas; Michael, Cale (February 18, 2024). "Streamer Awards 2024: All results and winners for every category". Dot Esports. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
External links edit
- Alveus Sanctuary
- Alveus Sanctuary on Twitch