Jackie, the beloved bald eagle from California’s Big Bear, died Monday morning at age 14 following a mysterious illness.
Jackie had been battling the illness for weeks at a rehabilitation center in Ojai before her untimely death. She and her mate, Shadow, became viral internet sensations to millions with the nonstop livestream of their nest overlooking Big Bear Lake, per the Los Angeles Times:
Since the pair formed in 2018, fans have watched them weather freezing winter storms, incubate eggs and dote on fuzzy chicks.
But in mid-July, Jackie was found weak, disheveled and unable to fly on the north shore of the lake after a scuffle with two younger eagles. She was rescued and transferred to the Ojai Raptor Center, where experts treated her until her death.
The Ojai rehabilitation center mourned Jackie’s death in an Instagram post on Monday.
“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,” the center said. “Our team is heartbroken. It has been an extraordinary privilege to care for her.”
Chris Eksteen, the center’s executive director, said the fight with two younger eagles may have grounded Jackie’s flight but did not cause her symptoms of severe anemia, which required a blood transfusion from another eagle.
“What we are seeing suggests that she has been unwell for some time before she was found,” he said in an Instagram post this month.
Experts were unable to determine the exact cause of Jackie’s mysterious illness following a series of tests and a CT scan. Her health battle became up-and-down as doctors routinely saw her packed cell volume dip and rebound from below 6 percent to above 9 percent.
“Over the past several days, her condition continued to deteriorate despite intensive treatment and the combined efforts of our veterinary team and consulting specialists,” the Ojai center said in its announcement.
According to USA Today, “several other possible causes, such as lead poisoning, cancer and metal objects, were ruled out through extensive testing.”
“On July 23, wildlife agencies had said test results show Jackie does not have lead poisoning, a common killer among bald eagles and other birds,” it added.
Fans mourned her death on social media: