BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif., Aug. 10 (Our Hesperia) — Bald eagle Jackie died in the early hours of Aug. 10, 2026, after her health continued to worsen during more than three weeks of intensive treatment at the Ojai Raptor Center in California.
The center identified the bird as Patient 26-519. It said Jackie received oxygen therapy, supportive care and round-the-clock monitoring in an intensive care unit. Her treatment was overseen by a team that included nine veterinarians, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“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 center said in its announcement.
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 been found weak and unable to fly near the Dana Point Park area by Big Bear Lake after an apparent fight with two younger eagles.
The Ojai Raptor Center said initial bloodwork showed severe anemia and inflammation affecting her kidneys. Anemia is a condition in which the blood does not carry enough oxygen, often because the body has too few red blood cells or too little hemoglobin.
Jackie received a blood transfusion, along with additional testing and intensive care. The center’s updates tracked her packed cell volume, or PCV — the percentage of blood made up of red blood cells. A healthy level for Jackie was described as above 30%.
Her PCV fell to 13% on Aug. 3 and dropped below 6% on Aug. 8. It rose to 9% the next day, but the center said she remained critically ill and unstable.
The center has not announced the cause of Jackie’s illness or death. It said it planned to provide more information about her treatment and test results while working with state and federal wildlife officials. The supplied reports do not include the results of diagnostic tests such as a CT scan or bone marrow biopsy, or say whether a necropsy has been completed.
What happened to her remains?
The Ojai Raptor Center said Jackie’s remains were transferred to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The state agency’s findings had not been released in the information available for this report.
The center said its treatment decisions were based on the available medical evidence, Jackie’s welfare and what staff believed was in her best interest.
Why was Jackie well known?
Jackie was associated with a bald eagle nest in Big Bear Valley that was watched by viewers through livestream cameras operated by Friends of Big Bear Valley. She was known publicly alongside her longtime partner, Shadow.
Some reports identified Jackie as 14 years old, but the supplied information does not include a direct age record from a government agency or the raptor center.
What does Jackie’s death say about bald eagles?
Jackie’s death is a report about one bald eagle’s illness and does not, by itself, establish a trend in California’s bald eagle population or show an environmental cause. The information available does not include a population-monitoring dataset, a broader wildlife health assessment or peer-reviewed research linking her condition to climate or other environmental changes.
The circumstances surrounding the initial fight also remain limited. Chris Eksteen, executive director of the Ojai Raptor Center, told the Los Angeles Times that the fight likely left Jackie grounded but did not explain her other symptoms. The center’s medical updates described severe anemia and kidney inflammation, while the cause of those conditions remained under investigation.
