One of California’s most famous bald eagles is still in critical condition, but her condition has slightly improved over the last week or so.
Big Bear Lake, located in The Golden State, has been home to two certifiable celebrities over the past couple of years: Jackie and Shadow. People on the internet have fallen in love with the pair of bald eagles ever since Friends of Big Bear Valley set up a nature camera facing towards their nest. The nonprofit is the one that set up the camera on the nest, which Jackie and Shadow have been utilizing it to birth many eaglets in the past couple of years.
It was earlier this year in April that the bald eagle couple welcomed two eaglets into the world on Easter weekend (weeks after their set of eggs laid months earlier were ravaged by ravens). And all was well with the bald eagle family since then, until earlier this month, when Jackie went missing.
Friends of Big Bear Valley shared videos of the nest, and Jackie was nowhere to be seen. That prompted a multitude of “Where’s Jackie” comments, and after a few days, even the nonprofit became concerned. Since baldies are very habitual, it was very out of the norm for Jackie to not return to the nest… and many hypothesized that she may have been injured, rendering her unable to make it back to the nest.
Sure enough, Jackie had gotten into a spar with a pair of younger eagles. The attack left her injured, and unable to fly back to Shadow and the nest they share. Fortunately, a rehab facility known as the Ojai Raptor Center took the famous baldie in, and they’ve been taking care of her the best they can.
They initially let the public know that Jackie – whom they refer to as Patient 26-519 – was in critical condition. The baldie was suffering from severe anemia and inflammation of her kidneys. They referred to Jackie’s health as a “very serious case,” and made sure to do all they could to stabilize the bald eagle.
The good news? Those efforts seems to be working. Just yesterday, the raptor center shared a positive update about Jackie. She’s eating on her own, and showing more alertness. While they are still trying to figure out the issues with her blood, she’s been upgraded to a “critical but stable” status:
“Patient 26-519’s condition remains stable but critical as she remains in intensive care and receives round-the-clock supportive treatment. Our veterinary team is working to determine the underlying cause of her illness. She is currently receiving several prophylactic treatments to help support her body.
After showing encouraging improvement following her blood transfusion, she experienced a setback on Saturday when her blood values declined again. Since then, she has improved once more. She is eating on her own, her energy and alertness have noticeably improved, and she has become much more feisty during feedings.
One of the most encouraging changes we’ve seen is her packed cell volume (PCV), which measures the percentage of red blood cells in her bloodstream. Her PCV has increased from 8% before the weekend to 16% today (7/27). While this remains below normal, it is an encouraging improvement, and we will continue to monitor her bloodwork daily as we keep a close eye on her progress.
Despite extensive diagnostic testing and consultation with experienced wildlife veterinarians, we still do not have a definitive diagnosis. Cases like this can be incredibly complex, and we will continue adjusting her treatment as new information becomes available.”
That’s great news for Jackie.
Fans and followers of the bald eagle couple have been overjoyed to hear that Jackie is doing better. However, they are starting to also show concern for Shadow. Don’t worry… he hasn’t been attacked, and he’s not suffering from any sort of injury. People are just worried that Shadow could eventually leave the nest, and thus leave Jackie, if she doesn’t return soon.
Bald eagles normally mate for life, so Shadow will most likely wait until the very last moment to leave, if he decides to at all. There’s still plenty of time for Jackie to get back on her talons (was going to say feet, but I don’t think that works when you are talking bald eagles). Shadow wouldn’t move on and try to find a mate any earlier than late December or early January, when his hormones kick in.
Here’s to hoping Jackie keeps improving and the couple is reunited much sooner than that.
