Jackie remains in critical condition after the Bald Eagle Jackie Rescue early Saturday morning, and the bald eagle is now being treated at the Ojai Raptor Center. The center said the case is very serious, while staff wait for more test results to explain why she cannot fly away.
Eliza Cameron said, "The eagle arrived lethargic and underweight, but has no signs of physical trauma." The center is already testing for zinc, rodenticides and lead, because those results may help identify what is making Jackie so weak.
Ojai Raptor Center treatment
The County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation said its San Dimas Raptor Rescue team found Jackie early Saturday morning and took her to the rehabilitation facility for treatment. The center said Jackie is alert and is eating, even as staff describe her condition as critical.
That mix of symptoms has complicated the picture. Jackie has severe anemia and inflammation affecting the kidneys, but the rescued eagle shows no signs of physical trauma. Dr. Todd Katzner said a mature eagle could be compromised by injury or lead poisoning, and that could explain why it was unable to fly away.
Jenny Voisard on Jackie
Jenny Voisard of Friends of Big Bear Valley said, "Well, since the fireworks, we haven't seen too much of Jackie. She did come to the nest on the 12th, and seemed to be quite hungry." She also said, "She was able to defend herself from both of them. They were wanting her fish, and probably her territory, but she wasn't able to fly away."
Friends of Big Bear Valley said the eagle was believed to have been involved in an altercation with two other, younger eagles near Dana Point Park, and a resident of Fawnskin spotted her in the lake not far from the nest. Because Jackie is not banded, it took some time to determine that it was her. The center is waiting on the test results to pin down the underlying cause of her condition.
Jackie and Shadow at Big Bear
Jackie’s absence from the Big Bear bald eagle nest has now turned into a medical case that still has no final explanation. For people following Jackie and Shadow, the immediate concern is not the nest itself but whether the next round of tests points to toxin exposure, injury, or something else driving the weakness.
