Wildlife Wise Canada Launches as BC's First Dedicated Wildlife Coexistence Education Platform

Wildlife Wise Canada (wildlifewise.ca) launched this month as British Columbia's most comprehensive free resource for wildlife coexistence education. Founded by Gerald Shaffer — known across the Sunshine Coast as 'The Bear Guy' — the platform brings together 30 years of field experience into practical, evidence-based guides for every Canadian who lives, works, or travels in wildlife country.

The site covers 14 BC species including black bears, grizzly bears, cougars, coyotes, wolves, moose, and elk, with each species page providing audience-specific safety protocols for hikers, homeowners, employers, Airbnb hosts, and educators. All content is free and openly accessible.

"A fed bear is a dead bear," said Shaffer. "Knowledge is the only real protection — for you and for them. We built this site so that every British Columbian has access to the same quality of information that used to require a paid workshop or a lucky conversation with a conservation officer."

The platform includes a downloadable classroom guide aligned to the BC curriculum for Grades 3 through 7, a directory of 93 BC wildlife organisations, a Meet Your Wildlife Conservation Officer section covering the Lower and Upper Sunshine Coast, and an AI-powered Ask WWC tool for real-time wildlife safety questions.

Shaffer is also the author of 'Gerald the Bear Guy: Adventures and Lessons from the Wild,' available on Amazon, and the founder of QuikSAR, a wilderness emergency supply service operating on the Sunshine Coast.

Wildlife Wise Canada is free to access at wildlifewise.ca. Teachers can download the classroom guide directly at wildlifewise.ca/for-teachers.

Media Contact

Gerald Shaffer — Wildlife Wise Canada
Email: [email protected]
Web: wildlifewise.ca