BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif., Aug. 10 (Our Hesperia) — Bald eagle Jackie, a California bird known to thousands of viewers through a Big Bear Valley nest livestream, died Aug. 10 after her health continued to worsen during more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the Ojai Raptor Center said.
The center identified the eagle as Patient 26-519. Her remains were transferred to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which may help determine what caused her illness. The cause of her decline and death had not been announced.
What happened to Jackie?
Jackie was rescued July 17 by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation’s San Dimas Raptor Rescue team. She had been found weak and unable to fly near the Dana Point Park area by Big Bear Lake after an apparent fight with two subadult eagles.
Chris Eksteen, executive director of the Ojai Raptor Center, told the Los Angeles Times that the fight likely left Jackie unable to fly but did not explain her broader symptoms. He said the eagle appeared to have been sick for some time before she was found.
At the Ojai facility, initial bloodwork showed severe anemia and inflammation affecting the kidneys, according to a July 21 update from the center. Anemia means the blood does not have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen through the body.
Jackie received a blood transfusion and underwent intensive care that included oxygen therapy, supportive treatment and constant monitoring. Reports also said her care included advanced diagnostic testing, but the results of those tests had not been released.
Why was her condition so serious?
Veterinarians tracked Jackie’s packed cell volume, or PCV. The measurement estimates the percentage of blood made up of red blood cells. A healthy level is generally much higher than the levels recorded during Jackie’s final days.
The center said her PCV fell to 13% on Aug. 3 and below 6% on Aug. 8. It rose to 9% on Aug. 9, but the center said its desired level was above 30% and that Jackie remained critically ill.
The Ojai Raptor Center said a collaborative team—including nine veterinarians, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife—reviewed her care. Despite treatment and consultations with specialists, the center said Jackie’s condition continued to deteriorate.
“It is with profound sadness that we share that [Jackie] passed away in the early hours of this morning, following more than three weeks of intensive medical care,” the center said in its announcement.
What is known about the cause?
Not enough information has been released to identify the cause of Jackie’s anemia, kidney inflammation or death. The center said it planned to issue a more detailed statement about her treatment and test results while working with state and federal wildlife officials.
The available information does not show that a single weather event, environmental change or broader climate trend caused her illness. It describes one eagle’s medical case, and no population-monitoring or peer-reviewed ecological data were provided with the announcement.
Jackie’s death also does not establish that the territorial fight caused her illness. The center and Eksteen said the encounter may have affected her ability to fly, while the medical cause remained unresolved.
Why was Jackie widely known?
Jackie was associated with a nest in Big Bear Valley and appeared with her longtime partner, Shadow. Cameras operated by Friends of Big Bear Valley allowed viewers to watch the nest and follow the eagles’ lives online.
Her rescue and treatment drew attention well beyond Southern California. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife now has custody of her remains, but the supplied updates did not say whether a necropsy or toxicology testing would be conducted or when officials might release findings.
