Big Bear bald eagle Jackie dies after intensive care

Jackie, the bald eagle whose nest with her mate Shadow drew a large online following from California’s Big Bear Valley, has died after more than three weeks of intensive veterinary care, the Ojai Raptor Center announced Monday.

The wildlife rehabilitation organization said Jackie died in the early hours of Monday morning after her health continued to decline despite treatment by its veterinary team and consulting specialists.

“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.

Jackie had been under care at the Ojai Raptor Center since July 17, after the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation’s San Dimas Raptor Rescue team responded to the Dana Point Park area near Big Bear Lake. She had been involved in a fight with two subadult eagles and was found to be “very sick,” CBS News reported.

The center said Jackie had underlying health problems that caused anemia and weight loss. During her treatment, the organization gave updates on setbacks linked to anemia and an unexplained illness that caused her packed cell volume to fall well below average. She received a blood transfusion, oxygen therapy, supportive treatment and round-the-clock monitoring in the center’s intensive care unit.

“Over the past several days, her condition continued to deteriorate despite intensive treatment and the combined efforts of our veterinary team and consulting specialists,” Ojai Raptor Center said. “She remained critically ill, receiving oxygen therapy, supportive treatment, and around-the-clock monitoring in our intensive care unit.”

The center said Jackie’s remains have been transferred to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. It also said it was working closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and planned to provide a more detailed statement with additional information on her treatments and test results.

“Our team is heartbroken. It has been an extraordinary privilege to care for her,” the Ojai Raptor Center said. “We know this news will be deeply felt by the many thousands of people around the world who have followed her journey, hoped alongside us, prayed for her, and supported the people caring for her.”

Jackie became widely known through the Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam, a livestream operated by the nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley. The camera, focused on the nest she shared with Shadow, has attracted hundreds of thousands of subscribers, the BBC reported.

Friends of Big Bear Valley said Jackie had been seen frequently in the area since she hatched in the spring of 2012, according to the BBC. The group estimated she lived about 14 years. Jackie and Shadow had been mates since 2018, the organization’s website said.

Together, Jackie and Shadow raised several eaglets to fledging, including Simba, Spirit, Sunny, Gizmo and their two most recently hatched eaglets, Luna and Sandy. Those names were chosen by students at Big Bear Elementary School. Sandy was named after Sandy Steers, the longtime Friends of Big Bear Valley executive director who helped launch the livestream cameras and died earlier this year.

After Jackie’s death was announced, Friends of Big Bear Valley urged the public to treat both the organization and Ojai Raptor Center staff with kindness.

“Soar free Jackie,” the group said.