BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif., Oct. 16 (Nationwide Times) — Bird flu caused the illness that led to the death of Jackie, the bald eagle from California’s Big Bear Valley whose nest drew a worldwide online following, wildlife officials announced Oct. 14, 2026.
“Jackie’s necropsy confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) as the primary underlying cause of her decline,” said Steve Kubiski, director of disease investigations at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife released the findings with the alliance and Ojai Raptor Center. They describe an unusual course of infection, involving severe stomach damage and several linked complications.
Why was Jackie so well known?
For more than a decade, viewers watched Jackie and her mate, Shadow, tend their nest near Big Bear Lake through an online video feed, the Associated Press reported. The lake is in California’s San Bernardino Mountains.
Millions of people worldwide followed the pair through the Friends of Big Bear Valley livestream, according to AccuWeather. Shadow remains in Big Bear, the state wildlife department said.
Jackie died Aug. 10, 2026, while in the care of Ojai Raptor Center in Ojai, California, the Los Angeles Times reported.
How did the virus make her sick?
The findings came from a necropsy — an examination of an animal after death — and laboratory testing. Jackie was identified in her patient records as Patient 26-519.
“In an uncommon presentation of the virus, the infection caused a severe ulcer in her stomach that led to persistent internal bleeding, anemia, and the development of bacterial sepsis,” Kubiski said.
An ulcer is an open sore. Anemia means the blood has too few healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen normally. Sepsis is a dangerous response to infection.
According to the wildlife department’s account of the examination, damaged tissue allowed bacteria to enter Jackie’s body. Pathologists also found severe inflammation and blood clots in her heart and several major blood vessels. The department described the connected illnesses as having been “developing over time.”
Follow-up testing detected genetic material from the bird flu virus in several tissues, including the ulcerated tissue in the ventriculus, a muscular part of a bird’s stomach.
How was the diagnosis confirmed?
Veterinary pathologists at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance performed the necropsy, according to the wildlife department.
The California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory at UC Davis conducted toxicology tests, which look for poisonous substances, and additional PCR tests for HPAI. PCR testing detects genetic material from a virus. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory system made the final HPAI confirmation.
Was rat poison involved?
Testing detected brodifacoum, a rodent poison, in Jackie’s liver, the wildlife department said. Brodifacoum is an anticoagulant, meaning it interferes with blood clotting.
“The necropsy did not find uncontrolled bleeding typically associated with anticoagulant rodenticide; therefore, brodifacoum was not identified as the primary cause of illness or death,” the department said.
Testing also ruled out West Nile virus and harmful levels of heavy metals as contributing factors, according to the department.
What treatment did she receive?
Jackie received more than three weeks of intensive care, SFGate reported. AccuWeather reported that she was closely monitored during treatment.
Her patient FAQ, hosted by the state wildlife department, identifies a blood transfusion, oxygen therapy, intensive fluid therapy and anti-parasitic medications among her treatments. Those measures provided support while she was ill; the diagnosis came through the examination and testing after her death.
How can bird flu reach eagles?
HPAI primarily affects birds and has circulated among wild birds throughout the United States, according to the wildlife department. Waterfowl and shorebirds are natural hosts of avian influenza viruses.
Eagles and other raptors — birds that hunt other animals — can be exposed through contact with infected birds or by eating infected prey, the department said.
After Jackie’s death, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Eagle Repository cremated her remains to prevent transmission of bird flu, according to the state wildlife department.
