Guest Speaker: Falconer, Dan Frankian
Friday, August 27, 2021 - Time: 12:00 Noon to 1:15 PM
Rotary Virtual Meeting via TEAMS! Topic: Falconry - Playing with Rotary Toronto Execs!
Host: Past President Geoffrey Johnson
Rotarian and Guests: RSVP to office@rotarytoronto.com
if using TEAMS to be admitted to the meeting.
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Views and Opinions Expressed Disclaimer: The views and opinions are those expressed by the Speaker and
do not necessarily reflect the official views or opinions, policy or position of The Rotary Club of Toronto or its Members.
Biography
Armenian descent, Dan immigrated to Canada with his family when he was 11 years old. Upon graduating from high school, he joined the Canadian Armed Forces and trained as a vehicle technician and a weapons expert.
Dan saw his first bird of prey as a child when hunting with his father. His interest was sparked when he watched one of the hunters using an owl to hunt. As a young man in the Canadian Armed Forces, a foreign dignitary who was a falconer befriended him; thus began his endeavor into the world of birds of prey. He spent time with a falconry expert in Cyprus while on leave from the Canadian Armed Forces. This gentleman was a Master Falconer who taught Dan the knowledge required to train and take care of birds of prey, particularly eagles.
After leaving the Armed Forces as a sniper, Dan returned home to Toronto and enrolled at George Brown College, obtaining a Certificate in Jewelry Arts. He also acquired diplomas as a Fellow of the Canadian Gemological Association and its US counterpart, the Gemological Institute of America. He joined the family business (his father was a 3rd generation jeweler), working in partnership with his father and managing their store in the Yorkville area of Toronto.
However, his interest in falconry never diminished and he founded his bird control business in 1989. Hawkeye Bird and Animal Control quickly grew from a one-man operation using one hawk and expanded to a business with 14 staff members and more than a dozen birds of prey. There are now several offices in Canada.
Dan Frankian has worked nationally, as well as internationally, for various government agencies and large corporations. His international portfolio includes projects in the Galapagos Islands, Thailand and the United States. Dan Frankian’s birds of prey and dogs have appeared in and have opened for several live shows and TV shows and documentaries, as well as full feature movies such as Harry Potter.
Dan Frankian continues to speak at events and conferences worldwide, discussing such issues as bird and animal control, bird removal, bird strikes and abatement. As an expert outdoorsman, hunter and trapper, he is concerned with environmental issues and renewable natural resources.
Dan Frankian holds a Canadian commercial falconry license, a Master Falconry Permit in the State of Florida, an Ontario Fur Managers license for commercial fur and trapping nuisance wildlife as well as numerous firearms licenses, Advanced Wildlife Control Operator, Exterminator License, is Bats Standard Certified, and a Certified Urban Marksman. Dan is the ONLY CWCP (Certified Wildlife Control Professional) IN CANADA plus holding CWCP certification in the US. He is also a graduate of the Embry-Riddle Wildlife Hazard airport course.
In addition, Dan Frankian runs a rehabilitation clinic for injured wild birds of prey out of his home.
Dan is a staunch supporter for the preservation of birds of prey, as they continue to be a key barometer of a healthy natural environment.