Woman parks her cute tiny home inside exotic animal sanctuary that she established

A woman who founded a sanctuary for exotic animals parked her tiny home inside the sanctuary so she could live close to her favorite creatures.

Maya Higa is the founder and executive director of Alveus Sanctuary.

She is also a content creator, streaming on Twitch and crafting YouTube videos.

As the head of Alveus, established in 2021, Maya oversees the rescue of exotic animals unfit for the wild and online conservation education efforts.

“I started streaming in 2019, rehabilitating hawks in California. It was a really cool way for those people to build a connection to the animal that I had on screen. So that’s where the inspiration started for having the animal sanctuary,” Maya said, stating that she wants to acquaint and introduce all interested people to each species so that they develop care and concern for them.

Maya bought the property for the sanctuary to live close to the animals.

She chose a tiny house for its compactness and enjoyed its coziness after living there for about a year and a half.

Maya didn’t build her tiny home herself; she purchased it from a model home on many other tiny houses.

It was then delivered to her property, leveled, and set up, making the process easy and hassle-free.

The tiny house measures 380 square feet, 35 feet long, and 11 feet wide. It was deliberately chosen for its abundance of windows, which capture natural light.

The high ceiling creates a spaciousness, complemented by a cozy loft.

Maya’s loft is a multifunctional space where she sleeps, crafts, and stores most of her clothes.

Her hats and dogs also share the area, while glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling create a tranquil ambiance resembling space when the room is dark.

Living in a compact space poses challenges for Maya, who acknowledges occasional messiness and emphasizes the importance of staying organized to avoid clutter.

Her favorite area is the living room, featuring bay windows that flood the space with sunlight.

Additionally, Maya values her kitchen because she loves to cook.

Despite the limited space, her kitchen is well-equipped with essential appliances.

Maya has made some adjustments to her bathroom, such as installing a larger mirror.

“It’s kind of small, but the shower is pretty big. I put this mirror up. It was like a small medicine cabinet mirror when I bought it,” Maya shared.

Maya had two aging ferrets, and when one passed away, she dedicated an entire room to the remaining ferret named Mushroom.

That room also serves as her streaming space, with a computer for live streaming.

However, due to her ferret freely roaming the office, the room is covered in potty pads.

Maya has allotted 8 feet by 8 feet of her tiny house specifically for Mushroom.

Outside, Maya is in the process of creating an outdoor hangout area. The rest of her yard is enclosed by a privacy fence, giving her dogs plenty of room to move around.

Maya’s garden is intentionally left wild to provide a habitat for pollinators and invertebrates, reflecting her passion for insect conservation.

Despite its untamed appearance, Maya cherishes the natural habitat and enjoys being surrounded by her insect companions.

Beyond Maya’s yard lies the beginning of the sanctuary for the exotic animals, spanning approximately 15 acres, primarily dedicated to housing around 35 animals.

Among them are foxes, monkeys, crows, donkeys, a cow, parrots, chickens, chinchillas, reptiles, and bugs, each with a unique story contributing to the sanctuary’s mission of education and conservation.

Expanding the sanctuary is a significant endeavor, currently focused on constructing a large enclosure for two wolves being rescued from another facility.

Maya’s choice to live in a tiny house aligns with her commitment to minimal consumption and preserving wild spaces.

“Habitat loss is the number one driver of extinction around the world. My goal is just to teach as many people as possible about conservation and these animals,” Maya said.

See Maya’s tiny home and her sanctuary for exotic animals by watching the video below:

Check out more tiny home videos by subscribing to Tiny House Giant Journey channel. 

You can also follow Alveus Sanctuary through their Instagram and YouTube to learn more about their sanctuary for exotic animals.