Updated

Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 12

Jackie’s Remains Go to Eagle Repository for Tribal Use After 14-Year-Old Bald Eagle Dies

Updated

Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 12

Jackie’s Remains Go to Eagle Repository for Tribal Use After 14-Year-Old Bald Eagle Dies

Q: After Jackie's tragic death and the disappearance of her latest eaglets, what does the future hold for her loyal mate Shadow?

Shadow is likely to remain in Big Bear Valley and may eventually take a new mate, but probably not immediately. Wildlife experts cited in coverage of Jackie’s illness said bald eagles generally do replace a lost partner, especially in valuable nesting territory. How quickly that happens depends on how many other eagles are nearby. Big Bear appears to have several visiting subadult and nearly mature eagles in the area, so biologically there is a real chance another female could eventually pair with him. That said, experts and Friends of Big Bear Valley also stressed that timing matters. Jackie died outside the breeding season, and one expert said Shadow would be unlikely to seek a new mate until his breeding hormones rise again, likely around late December or early January. For now, he has simply continued to be seen in the area. As for Sandy and Luna, their disappearance is not being treated as a loss in the same sense as Jackie’s death. Friends of Big Bear Valley said they had not been seen since July 23, which strongly suggests they fledged and moved on, a normal stage for young eagles. A later Big Bear Bald Eagle Watch update said both had fully fledged. So Shadow’s near-term future is probably solitary territorial life around the nest area. Over the longer term, if he stays healthy and holds the territory, the most likely path is that he pairs again and continues breeding, even as Jackie remains the eagle most viewers will associate with Big Bear.

Q: With toxins and cancer ruled out, what mysterious illness actually caused the profound anemia that claimed the internet's favorite bald eagle?

It has not been identified. Despite extensive testing, veterinarians never determined a definitive disease process behind Jackie’s profound anemia. The Ojai Raptor Center said tests ruled out several leading suspects, including lead poisoning, cancer, and foreign metal objects such as hooks or weights. Rodenticide exposure was also considered, and clinicians investigated infection, inflammation, and other systemic illness. Jackie underwent repeated bloodwork, advanced imaging, toxicology screening, a contrast CT scan, a bone marrow biopsy, oxygen therapy, and a blood transfusion. What doctors did establish was that Jackie was suffering from a severe, complex illness marked by profound anemia, kidney inflammation, and a possible infection or inflammatory condition. Her kidney values improved during treatment, but the anemia remained critical and worsened, with her packed cell volume falling below 6% shortly before her death. In short, the illness that killed Jackie remained medically unexplained. Her care team said she had likely been sick for some time before she was rescued, but even with advanced diagnostics and specialist review, the underlying cause of the anemia was still unresolved when she died.

3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 12

Federal law required that Jackie’s remains be sent to the National Eagle Repository after a necropsy, where bald and golden eagle parts are prepared for eligible members of federally recognized tribes.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the system provides a lawful source of eagle remains and feathers for religious and cultural practices, and Friends of Big Bear Valley said it has no role in that process.
Jackie died Aug. 10 at age 14 after 23 days of treatment at Ojai Raptor Center, where veterinarians found severe regenerative anemia, blood clots, liver and lung abnormalities, and inadequate bone marrow response.
Her decline followed a July 17 altercation with two subadult eagles near Big Bear Valley; tests had already ruled out lead poisoning, cancer and metal objects as causes.