Maya Elaine Higa (born May 24, 1998) is an American conservationist, falconer,[4] wildlife rehabilitator, Twitch streamer, and YouTuber.
Maya Elaine Higa[7][2] was born to a Japanese-Okinawan father[8] and an American mother in Northern California[9] on May 24, 1998,[2] and grew up there on a farm as the youngest sibling with her parents, two brothers, and a sister.
[10][9][11] She attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, graduating with a bachelor's degree in agricultural education and communication in June 2020.
[15] Early in her streaming career, she saw significant growth after a falconry livestream clip with her juvenile red-tailed hawk named Bean went viral on Reddit around April 2019.
[11][16][17] As her fame grew, her streams evolved to encompass a wider range of activities other than music, such as falconry, along with spreading conservation awareness.
[11][15] In July 2019, Higa started the Conservation Cast, a podcast where viewers learn about animals and gather information from experts such as conservationists, wildlife enthusiasts, and scientific communicators.
The podcast has also featured speakers from organizations such as Save the Rhino, the Exotic Feline Rescue Center, and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.
Higa released a public statement on Twitter via twitlonger apologizing for her involvement and stating that she did not cover up sexual assault and would take leave from streaming.
Higa stated her intentions to stream less on her main channel and reorient efforts into producing educational conservation content for Alveus Sanctuary.
[38][39][40] On April 4, 2023, Higa collaborated with Twitch and hosted Nerve Center presented by Ally, a sponsored education show based around Alveus Sanctuary with several online creators, including Daily Dose of Internet, Lacari, Dareon, and Caroline Kwan.
[49] Wine About It went on hiatus in September 2022 after Higa announced her "indefinite" break from online content creation, a decision which stemmed from the backlash she received for her alleged involvement in covering up a sexual assault scandal.