{"id":37664,"date":"2026-08-11T01:56:50","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T20:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=37664"},"modified":"2026-08-11T01:56:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T20:56:50","slug":"jackie-worlds-most-famous-bald-eagle-dies-after-mystery-illness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=37664","title":{"rendered":"Jackie, world&#8217;s most famous bald eagle, dies after mystery illness"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-element=\"story-body\" data-subscriber-content=\"\">\n<p>After a weeks-long <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/environment\/story\/2026-07-29\/jackie-big-bears-beloved-bald-eagle-moved-out-of-intensive-care-but-still-very-sick\"><u>battle with a mysterious illness<\/u><\/a>, Big Bear\u2019s beloved bald eagle Jackie died Monday morning at an Ojai rehabilitation center. She was 14.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/environment\/story\/2026-03-03\/jackie-shadow-story-behind-big-bear-bald-eagle-couple\"><u>Jackie and her mate, Shadow,<\/u><\/a> delighted millions of viewers as stars of a nonstop livestream of their nest, perched high in a Jeffrey pine overlooking Big Bear Lake. Since the pair formed in 2018, fans have watched them weather freezing winter storms, incubate eggs and dote on fuzzy chicks.<\/p>\n<p>But in mid-July, Jackie was <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/environment\/story\/2026-07-20\/bald-eagle-rescued-in-big-bear-likely-jackie-is-in-stable-condition\"><u>found weak, disheveled and unable to fly<\/u><\/a> on the north shore of the lake following a scuffle with two younger eagles. She was rescued and transferred to the Ojai Raptor Center, where experts treated her until her death.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe 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,\u201d the center <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Db3w88dj0_G\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\">wrote in an Instagram post<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur team is heartbroken. It has been an extraordinary privilege to care for her.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>In an earlier post, Chris Eksteen, the center\u2019s executive director, said fighting likely left Jackie grounded but did not cause her symptoms. Tests revealed she <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/environment\/story\/2026-07-21\/rescued-eagle-jackie-in-critical-condition-as-she-battles-anemia-inflammation\"><u>had severe anemia<\/u><\/a>, leading to a blood transfusion from another eagle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we are seeing suggests that she has been unwell for some time before she was found,\u201d he said <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DbeXd0hExca\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\"><u>in an Instagram post<\/u><\/a>  this month.<\/p>\n<p>Despite a battery of tests, including a contrast CT scan and bone marrow biopsy, experts could not determine what was making Jackie critically ill.<\/p>\n<p>Since arriving in Ojai, her health journey was uneven. Her blood values, including packed cell volume \u2014 which measures the percentage of red blood cells in her bloodstream \u2014 <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/environment\/story\/2026-07-27\/after-setback-big-bear-eagle-jackies-health-improves-shes-much-more-feisty\"><u>increased<\/u><\/a> and fell several times.<\/p>\n<p>About a week and a half into her care, she was <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/environment\/story\/2026-07-29\/jackie-big-bears-beloved-bald-eagle-moved-out-of-intensive-care-but-still-very-sick\"><u>moved out of the intensive care unit<\/u><\/a>, offering a glimmer of hope. But on Aug. 3, the center reported her packed cell volume fell to 13%, meaning her anemia had worsened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOver the past several days, her condition continued to deteriorate despite intensive treatment and the combined efforts of our veterinary team and consulting specialists,\u201d the Ojai center said in its announcement. <\/p>\n<p>She was receiving oxygen therapy, supportive treatment and nonstop monitoring in the ICU, the center said. <\/p>\n<p>Jackie\u2019s remains have been transferred to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The center said it is working with that department  and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and will provide another statement with more information about her treatment and test results. <\/p>\n<p>News of Jackie\u2019s death  sent  ripples of mourning through her fan base. Thousands took to social media to express their condolences and praise the avian matriarch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe lived an incredible life and inspired many,\u201d Facebook user Jordan Markowski wrote. \u201cWho knows how many people have and will go on to do great things to preserve and protect wild spaces and creatures because of her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd now in her final act, albeit unknowingly, she\u2019s made space for the next generation of eagles in the circle of life.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll never forget this period of knowing Jackie and Shadow. They have been such a light in the dark times that we are having in the US,\u201d Margie Boyd Stansell wrote <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FOBBV\/posts\/pfbid02SNmR1cgsT5EtfjsB5AJGmXeCFs9JKtepe87gXELVCu5Cvdfe37dWzVp7in3UZAPJl\" target=\"_blank\">on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Jackie\u2019s rise to reality stardom began after Friends of Big Bear Valley installed a webcam in 2015 to capture the goings-on of her parents\u2019 nest. Unbeknownst to the nonprofit, that couple \u2014 dubbed Ricky and Lucy \u2014 had shifted to a new nest and  soon left  the area altogether.<\/p>\n<p>An eagle believed to be Jackie started hanging around the old nest. A male, called Mr. B., joined her.<\/p>\n<p>During the summer of 2018, \u201can adult male intruder showed up to the nest and, with great tenacity, refused to leave,\u201d <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/friendsofbigbearvalley.org\/eagle-history\/\" target=\"_blank\"><u>Friends of Big Bear Valley wrote<\/u><\/a>. Mr. B. eventually moved on, and the interloper, dubbed Shadow, moved in.<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, a second camera was added to capture a wider view of the eagles\u2019 habitat.<\/p>\n<p>In their eight years nesting together, Jackie and Shadow raised numerous chicks and bonded by restoring their nest.<\/p>\n<p>But raw, unadulterated nature delivers both sorrow and joy. In late January, the couple\u2019s clutch of two eggs was <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/environment\/story\/2026-02-02\/ravens-devour-jackie-shadows-eggs-but-more-are-still-possible\"><u>eaten by ravens<\/u><\/a>. Not long after, Sandy Steers, executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2026-02-12\/sandy-steers-dies-activist-helped-launch-big-bears-popular-eagle-cam\"><u>died after a private battle with cancer.<\/u><\/a> <\/p>\n<p>Jackie <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/environment\/story\/2026-02-25\/big-bears-celeb-eagle-couple-lay-new-egg-after-first-clutch-is-destroyed\"><u>laid another pair of eggs<\/u><\/a> in late February. That clutch was successful, with the two eaglets \u2014 Luna and Sandy \u2014 <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2026-06-28\/big-bear-eaglet-sandy-takes-first-flight-after-accidental-fludge\"><u>fledging this summer<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Sandy, named to honor Steers, and brother Luna were last seen on camera on July 23. \u201cIt appears they have left the valley on their grand journey,\u201d the nonprofit <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FOBBV\/posts\/pfbid025MyoAuHdVLh5rsZWnVqHMeTR3Xgv88EpFNPDob2ju2xe91eD2TEAUQpgjKR9ajb3l\" target=\"_blank\"><u>wrote on Facebook<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Colleagues of Steers carried on her mission, including <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/environment\/story\/2026-06-17\/jackie-shadow-sandy-steers-memorial-moon-camp-fundraiser\"><u>an effort to raise $10 million<\/u><\/a> to buy land near the eagles\u2019 nest that was slated for development. In late July, OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman and his wife, Anna, <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/environment\/story\/2026-07-24\/open-ai-co-founder-donates-5-5m-to-buy-land-near-famed-big-bear-eagle-nest\"><u>donated $5.5 million<\/u><\/a> to the cause. That large infusion, along with thousands of smaller donations, surpassed the fundraising goal. A land trust now will steward the roughly 63 acres.<\/p>\n<p>Since Jackie\u2019s rescue, fans have wondered what will become of Shadow and the life she left behind in Big Bear.<\/p>\n<p>Friends of Big Bear Valley acknowledged it\u2019s impossible to know what the future holds. Shadow, who is 12, could find a new mate or even leave the Big Bear area.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After a weeks-long battle with a mysterious illness, Big Bear\u2019s beloved bald eagle Jackie died Monday morning at an Ojai rehabilitation center. She was 14. Jackie and her mate, Shadow, delighted millions of viewers as stars of a nonstop livestream of their nest, perched high in a Jeffrey pine overlooking Big Bear Lake. Since the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/612aed9\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/2048x1075+0+38\/resize\/1200x630!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0f%2F23%2F1a42a3cd4e2388273d8d89c3eb7f%2Fme-jackie-bald-eagle.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=37664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37664\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/37665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}