BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif., Aug. 10 (Our Hesperia) — Bald eagle Jackie, a well-known bird associated with a livestreamed nest in California’s Big Bear Valley, died Aug. 10 after more than three weeks of intensive medical care, the Ojai Raptor Center said.
The center identified the eagle as Patient 26-519. It said her health continued to worsen despite treatment by its veterinary staff and consulting specialists. Jackie received oxygen, supportive care and round-the-clock monitoring in an intensive care unit.
The cause of her illness and death had not been announced. Her remains were transferred to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, according to the Ojai Raptor Center.
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 reportedly been involved in a fight with two younger eagles near the Dana Point Park area by Big Bear Lake and was found weak and unable to fly.
The initial altercation is not known to have caused all of her medical problems. Chris Eksteen, executive director of the Ojai Raptor Center, told the Los Angeles Times that the fight likely left Jackie unable to fly but that she appeared to have been sick before she was found.
The center’s July 21 health update said initial bloodwork showed severe anemia and inflammation affecting her kidneys. Anemia is a condition in which the blood does not have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen through the body.
Jackie received a blood transfusion and underwent additional diagnostic work, including tests referenced in the center’s medical updates. The supplied reports do not include the results of those tests.
Why were veterinarians concerned about her blood levels?
Veterinarians tracked Jackie’s packed cell volume, or PCV. This measurement shows the percentage of blood made up of red blood cells and is one way to monitor anemia.
The Ojai Raptor Center said Jackie’s PCV fell to 13% on Aug. 3. It dropped below 6% on Aug. 8, then rose to 9% on Aug. 9. The center said a desired level was above 30%, but that the small increase did not mean she was out of danger.
In its Aug. 9 update, the center said Jackie remained critically ill and unstable. The following day, it announced that she had died in the early hours after her condition continued to deteriorate.
The center said her care involved a team of nine veterinarians, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. It said it planned to issue a more detailed statement about her treatment and test results.
Why was Jackie well known?
Jackie was known to viewers who followed a Big Bear Valley nest through livestream cameras operated by Friends of Big Bear Valley. Reports also identified Shadow as her longtime partner.
The nest’s online audience made Jackie a widely recognized bald eagle, but her death should not be treated by itself as evidence of a broader change in California’s bald eagle population. The available information concerns one bird’s illness and medical treatment, not a population survey, monitoring dataset or study of environmental trends.
The agencies involved in Jackie’s care had not released findings about the illness or said whether a necropsy or toxicology testing would be conducted. Until those results are available, the reason for her decline remains unknown.
