It’s all about the animals starting today. Animal Week will take place during the first week of November, according to Twitch. With the addition of a new category, Animals, Aquariums, and Zoos, it will be easier to identify animal-focused livestreams.
Under the new category, Twitch users can find kitten livestreams, wildlife excursions, and more. Previously, animal-centric streams were spread over a variety of genres, including Just Chatting, Science & Technology, and even ASMR. Streams that are primarily about or include animals can be grouped together in the new catch-all category.
Twitch also expressed the hope that Animal Week will raise awareness about environmental and conservation issues, as well as make it easier for animal non-profit organizations to find an audience on the platform.
Gifting bits and subs to Twitch streamers can activate a Hype Train, which rewards gifters with rare emotes. Twitch has launched 30 new Hype Train emotes that may be unlocked across all categories in honor of the animal-themed category.
But the good times don’t end there. In honor of Animal Week, Twitch has prepared a schedule of animal-centric entertainment, ranging from QBunnyTV’s hungry bunnies to DashDucks’ duck ponds and WildlifeCam’s live wildlife camera feeds.
There’s also theHoneyBeeHangout, a live channel dedicated to honeybee observation for individuals who don’t have trypophobia. In Monterey, California, the Monterey Aquarium is livestreaming its beaches for serene ocean noises, flocks of marine birds, and possibly sea lion sightings.
Twitch suggests the Best Friends Animal Society, the Hornbeam Wood Hedgehog Sanctuary, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Wolf Conservation Center to anyone interested in personally helping animal rescue and support organizations.
Twitch’s Animal Week corresponds with the release of the Animal Crossing 2.0 update on November 5th, which is a pleasant coincidence.