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Jackie, one half of Big Bear’s most famous bald eagle couple, is suffering from anemia and inflammation affecting her kidneys, the wildlife rehabilitation center that’s looking out for her said.
The Ojai Raptor Center provided an update on the beloved bird on Tuesday, sharing that Jackie continues to be on the mend. Although the eagle’s full test results are still being determined, initial bloodwork shows that she’s experiencing inflammation and anemia.
“We are still working to determine the underlying cause and additional bloodwork and diagnostic test results are pending,” the center said in a social media post, adding that Jackie’s condition “remains critical and this is still a very serious case.”
Veterinarians have begun treatment on the bird based on initial findings and will continue to care for her.
Jackie arrived at the Ojai Raptor Center early Saturday after Big Bear firefighters received calls on Friday of a wounded bald eagle on the ground near the shoreline of Dana Point Park on the northwest side of the lake.
Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV) Media Manager Jennifer Voisard said it appears Jackie was defending her territory from a pair of subadult bald eagles. Although she successfully fended them off, she was unable to fly afterwards.
Noemi Navar, Recreation Service Leader with the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department, said the eagle wasn’t healthy when wildlife experts arrived to help. Since it was wounded, the capture took only about five minutes.
“Whenever you see any type of bird of prey on the ground, especially at night, that’s a sign of concern because there’s predators around and things like that, so they typically try not to be on the ground,” Navar said. “So, that was a big determination that something was wrong.”
Big Bear firefighters monitored the eagle until the LA County Parks and Recreation Department was able to arrive and transport Jackie to the San Dimas Raptor Rescue. There, she received an initial assessment and emergency care before she was taken to Ojai since the Ojai Raptor Center is licensed to care for bald eagles.
While the Ojai Raptor Center thanked the public for their concerns, it said it’s unsure when her full lab results will come back and how long treatment could take.
Meanwhile, Jackie’s mate, Shadow, is continuing to look after their two eaglets and defend the couple’s nest.
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