An eagle believed to be Jackie remains in critical condition after being rescued on the shores of Big Bear Lake over the weekend and taken for care at the Ojai Raptor Center. By Tuesday, veterinarians were treating anemia and inflamed kidneys while waiting on test results that could point to lead, zinc or rodenticide exposure.
That update mattered because Jackie is more than an injured bird to the people who have watched her for years. Friends of Big Bear Valley said the eagle had been absent from the livestream cameras for days, and the rescue quickly drew attention because the bird is followed through 24/7 streams with Shadow. The center also said the patient was alert and eating, even as it stressed that the case was still very serious.
Eliza Cameron said the eagle arrived the previous day lethargic and underweight, but showed no signs of physical trauma. She said blood work and toxicology results were still pending, and that the timeline could not yet be pinned down. Friends of Big Bear Valley said Jackie had more energy after the rescue, was eating with assistance and on her own, and was standing up and perching, which offered a bit of hope without changing the medical picture.
The one thing that remained unsettled was identity. Friends of Big Bear Valley said it was confident the bird was Jackie and described her as a suspected member of the nesting pair in the area, but the Ojai Raptor Center said it could not be 100% sure. That uncertainty sits beside the medical one: the eagle is alert and eating, yet still in critical condition, and the cause of the anemia and kidney inflammation has not been identified.
For now, the next step is simple but hard. The center is waiting on test results, and those results will determine whether the bird is dealing with an exposure that can be treated or a problem that has already done lasting harm. Until then, the best read is the one Cameron offered plainly: the case is serious, the care is ongoing, and no honest timeline can be given yet.
