The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So my mission is to use the internet to build our next generation of

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

conservationists.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

And I have not been doing this for all that long.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Okay, I was born in 1998,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

so I will get that out of the way right off the bat.

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S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

But I'll tell you guys how I got started.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So I grew up on a farm,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

and I always loved animals.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So we had rabbits and horses and chickens,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

and you name it,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

we had it,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

and I loved it.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So then when I was 18 and in college,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

naturally,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

I got a job as a zookeeper.

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S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So I put on the safari outfit,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

and I would bring animals like kangaroos and lemurs to schools and

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

birthday parties to teach kids about wildlife.

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S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So you did a pretty cool job.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

It was really awesome.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So then one night after work,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

I met some friends online who were live -streaming themselves playing video games on

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Twitch, and I had no idea what that meant.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

But I learned that I could broadcast myself live on this website doing whatever

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

I wanted, so I could cook or I could sing or I could play video games.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

And if people enjoyed watching it,

1:00

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

they would send me tips,

1:01

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

so cash,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

like actual real money.

1:04

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

And as a college student,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

That's pretty freaking sweet.

1:08

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So I started streaming to about 10 viewers at a time almost every day.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Then one night after one of these live streams,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

I got a call from a zookeeper friend about this red -tailed hawk who

1:19

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

had been hit by a car and he needed help.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So we brought Bean,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

that's what we called him,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

home to my college house,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

and I started to rehabilitate him in my backyard.

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S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So then one night,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

I'm live streaming,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

I'm cooking,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

I'm talking about this new hawk in my backyard,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

and one of my viewers didn't believe me.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

They didn't believe that I had a bird in my backyard.

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S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

And I could not have that.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So I put my falconry glove on,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

and I brought the bird inside to show them.

1:47

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Of course,

1:48

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

because I have a problem.

1:49

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

And one of the people watching this stream made a short video of

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

this moment, and they shared it on Reddit.

1:55

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

And it went viral.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So my viewership shot up overnight,

2:00

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

and I started live streaming Bean's rehabilitation process.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So I'd call him from his perch to my glove,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

and the people watching my stream started becoming as invested as I

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

was in his recovery.

2:10

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

It was like they were doing it with me,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

sort of, which was the coolest thing that I've ever done.

2:15

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

And then eventually,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

because I was reaching so many people with Bean's story,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

the zoo that I worked at started allowing me to bring animals like cockatoos

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

and reptiles home to present on my live stream.

2:29

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So suddenly,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

somehow, I had turned this zoo outreach job that I had into

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

a work -from -home situation,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

right?

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S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Which is awesome.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

But instead of reaching 20 kids at a time in a classroom,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

I was reaching thousands of people at a time all over

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

the world.

2:45

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So this was when it really clicked for me,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

right? I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

But I wanted to do it at a much,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

much larger scale.

2:54

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So then two years later,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

at 22 years old,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

I came up with a plan,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

and the vision was to build an animal sanctuary that nobody visits,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

or at least not in person.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So we would rescue animals and build huge animal enclosures,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

and we would livestream conservation education programs online so

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

people could fall in love with our animals the way that they fell in love with Bean,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

that bird.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Our animals would be able to reach millions and millions of people

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

without having to meet a single one of them in person.

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S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

And then,

3:25

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

of course,

3:25

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

I would fundraise all of the capital to do all of these things and build this

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

entire facility in one single live stream,

3:32

S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

which is the craziest idea that I've ever had.

3:35

S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

But this is crazier.

3:36

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

It worked somehow.

3:38

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So I'm live streaming one day,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

and there's some...

3:41

S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Oh, thank you.

3:41

S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Whoa.

3:42

S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Let's take the applause.

3:44

S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Thank you so much.

3:46

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So I'm live streaming one day,

3:47

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

and someone in my live chat said,

3:50

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Maya, if we raise $500 ,000,

3:52

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

would you shave your head on stream?

3:55

S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

And I said,

3:57

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

yeah, duh.

3:58

S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Because who wouldn't do that?

4:00

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Who in the right mind wouldn't do that?

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Apparently, that was pretty motivating,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

though, because over the course of a 21 -hour long live stream,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

we fundraised $573 ,000 to

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S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

build the sanctuary.

4:16

S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So I bought some land in Austin,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Texas, started building animal enclosures,

4:20

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

and I started growing my hair back.

4:21

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

And that takes about two years,

4:22

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

in case anyone was curious.

4:24

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

And these screens are huge.

4:27

S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

That is a huge picture of me bald in front of a lot of people.

4:30

S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Okay.

4:32

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So next up was rescuing animals.

4:35

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Okay, so Appa and Momo are marmosets.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

They're these very tiny,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

very, very charming New World monkeys.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Someone originally bought them as pets online,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

but then after years of inadequate care,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

they were brought to us for rehabilitation.

4:47

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So they now live at Alves to help teach people about the exploitation of primates

4:51

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

in the pet trade and about the importance of conserving their rainforest habitats,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

too. They also have a little iPad to play games on now.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Very,

5:00

S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

very cute.

5:02

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Finn is an American red fox who was confiscated from the illegal pet trade in

5:06

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

California.

5:06

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So he and his best friend Reed now live at Alves to help teach people about the

5:10

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

nightmare that is the fur trade,

5:12

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

helping to build a new generation of fur -free consumers.

5:15

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Then there's Winnie the Moo.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

She's a cow.

5:20

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

She was rescued from a beef operation in Oklahoma.

5:23

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

She lives at Alves to help teach people about commercial agriculture and how it impacts

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

animal welfare and our planet.

5:28

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

One way that viewers can support the sanctuary is by feeding Winnie treats.

5:32

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So a $5 donation made online results in treats being dispensed

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

via this automated feeder.

5:37

S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

To date,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

that treat feeder has generated over $38 ,000 in

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

funding for the sanctuary.

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S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Isn't that crazy?

5:50

S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

It's a lot of trees.

5:51

S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

She's a very happy cow.

5:53

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Since 2019,

5:56

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

through live streaming,

5:57

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

I have raised over $7 .5 million for conservation causes

6:01

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

across the globe.

6:02

S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

In

6:08

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

2025 alone,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

we reached over 250 million people with

6:14

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

conservation education online.

6:16

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

It's over 10 million classrooms,

6:19

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

just like the ones that I was bringing zoo animals to in college just in

6:23

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

the last year.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Alvaes is now home to rescued parrots and emus and monkeys and

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

wolf dogs and more,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

and we have those 36 cameras that are live streaming them 24 hours

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

a day.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

But the beautiful thing about these live cameras is our animals are all

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

blissfully unaware of the thousands of eyes on them at

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any given time.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Not being open to the public means that our animals are less stressed by the unpredictable factors

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

that come with people visiting.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

It also means that we've never had to divert any of our funding to

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

guest experiences,

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like gift shops and concession stands and parking lots.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

But one of the most positive benefits is we've developed one

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

of the most accessible Zoom models in the world.

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Anyone with an internet connection can visit our animals for

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

free from their device from anywhere on the planet.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

And they do.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Our online demographic,

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our online community,

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they range from about 17 to 28 years old.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

We are our nation's new voters,

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new consumers and up -and -coming decision -makers.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

We hold the future of this planet in our hands.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

But most of our online community didn't even join with an interest in environmentalism at all.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

They are just normal people,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

internet users who stumbled across our content in one of their many,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

many feeds.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Alvea Sanctuary brings conservation to young people,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

largely by meeting them where they already are,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

which is on social media.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

But before social media,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

TV programming was establishing the best examples of conservationists,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

right?

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Heroes like Steve Irwin and David Hattonborough and

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Jane Goodall.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

These are obviously some of my personal heroes,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

probably some of yours as well as they should be.

8:05

S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

These guys rock,

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S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

right?

8:06

S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

But for most of us,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

it can be really hard to see ourselves in such legends.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

It leaves us feeling like that work is just a far -off dream that only other people achieve.

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S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

But at Alves,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

that dream doesn't feel so far off.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

For our viewers,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Alves is a dream that one of them achieved from within a space that they're

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

already a part of.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

And they get to be a part of it all live.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So we're just getting started.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Our next step is taking this Alvaeus approach to the wild.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

We're building a new facility where we're going to breed endangered species at Alvaeus

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for reintroduction and release into the wild.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

We're starting with the recovery of critically endangered wolves.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Our sincere hope is that people will fall in love with these wolves the

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

way that they fell in love with Bean,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

that bird from college.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

We hope that they'll care really deeply about these individuals and then,

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in turn,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

about the wild places that we return them to.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of brand -new conservationists

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

fighting for wildlife and wild places,

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

all doing it from their homes.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

So my mission is to use the internet

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

to build our next generation of conservationists.

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S… Speaker 1 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

And I think it's working.

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S… Speaker 2 (The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_)

Thank you.

The_Wildlife_Sanctuary_You_Can_Visit_from_Anywhere__Maya_Higa_

Muhtasari

Uliza Maswali Kuhusu Mpito Huu