An internet-famous bald eagle named Jackie that millions of people have collectively kept an eye on through a livestream running since 2018 vanished for several days, triggering a rescue effort that eventually found her near Big Bear Lake in Southern California’s San Bernardino Mountains. She was alive, but clearly worse for wear.
USA Today reports that Jackie, one half of the beloved Jackie and Shadow eagle duo, was found after witnesses saw an adult bald eagle fighting off two younger eagles with its talons. Jackie successfully defended herself, but couldn’t fly far afterward and remained grounded until rescuers from the Los Angeles County Parks Department’s San Dimas Raptor Rescue Team swooped in and transferred her to the Ojai Raptor Center.
It took a bit to confirm this was even Jackie in the first place because she isn’t banded. It took close observation of photos and videos by the general public, combined with observations from wildlife rehabilitators, to ultimately confirm what livestream viewers had feared in those anxious few days that Jackie was missing.
Jackie the Bald Eagle Still Has Plenty of Fight in Her
While it’s a relief to many that Jackie is back at all, she has taken a beating. Jackie is in critical condition with severe anemia and kidney inflammation, with additional tests lined up to try to determine the underlying cause. Good news is that she is alert, perching, eating with assistance, and generally acting like a slightly weaker version of her old self. On Facebook, Friends of Big Bear Valley reported that she’s “mad and fighting the staff.”
If you’re wondering why all the hubbub about an eagle, it’s like finding out your favorite sitcom star or YouTuber or Twitch livestreamer went missing. People have spent years watching Jackie and Shadow raise their eaglets through thick and thin, season after season. We are fast approaching 10 years of what is ostensibly Mother Nature’s version of Big Brother, which is more than enough time to develop emotional attachments. Now all of those stream viewers will hopefully have a new chapter to tune into sometime soon: Jackie making it home safely.
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