Sunshine Coast Educator Designs Canada's First Wildlife Safety Umbrella — The BearBrella
Gerald Shaffer's BearBrella combines a wide-canopy white umbrella with a silver reflective interior and carbon fibre shaft to serve as a visual barrier, sound amplifier, and emergency shelter in wildlife encounters
Sunshine Coast wildlife educator Gerald Shaffer has announced the BearBrella — Canada's first umbrella specifically designed for wildlife safety applications. Available for pre-order at $89 CAD through wildlifewise.ca/umbrella, the BearBrella is the result of over a decade of field experience with bear encounters and wilderness search and rescue operations.
The BearBrella features a wide-canopy design with a white exterior and silver reflective interior. The white exterior is highly visible to wildlife, helping establish a clear visual boundary during encounters. The silver interior reflects light and can be used to signal aircraft or rescuers. The carbon fibre shaft is lightweight and durable, with a ground spike for anchoring.
"An umbrella is one of the most underrated wilderness tools available," said Shaffer. "It's a visual barrier that makes you look larger to a bear. It's a sound amplifier — open it suddenly and the pop startles an approaching animal. It's a rain shelter, a sun shield, a mud bridge, and in a pinch, an emergency lean-to. The BearBrella is designed to do all of that and more."
Shaffer has documented 10 field applications for the BearBrella: visual barrier during wildlife encounters, sudden noise deterrent, rain and sun shelter, emergency lean-to frame, reflective signal device, ground anchor for tarps, mud bridge for soft terrain crossings, UV protection, wind direction indicator, and improvised stretcher frame for wilderness first aid.
The BearBrella is part of the QuikSAR emergency preparedness line, which Shaffer operates alongside Wildlife Wise Canada. QuikSAR supplies are curated based on Shaffer's 10 years of experience as a volunteer Search and Rescue team member on the Sunshine Coast.
Pre-orders for the BearBrella are open at $89 CAD at wildlifewise.ca/umbrella. The BearBrella is expected to ship in Summer 2026. A full guide to its 10 field applications is available free at wildlifewise.ca/umbrella.
Media Contact
Gerald Shaffer — Wildlife Wise Canada
Email: [email protected]
Web: wildlifewise.ca