Jackie, the Big Bear bald eagle, cause of death has finally revealed months after her death.
According to Los Angeles Times, when Big Bear’s celebrity eagle, who amassed millions of devoted fans thanks to a nonstop livestream of the aerie overlooking Big Bear Lake she shared with mate Shadow, died in August, questions swirled about what had gone wrong.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Wednesday, October 15, that Jackie died from highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as bird flu.
Testing revealed that rat poison was in her system, but officials do not believe it to be the primary cause of her illness or death.
She had been suffering from multiple diseases, according to the department.
In July, the eagle was found weak and disheveled on the shoreline of Big Bear Lake. She was taken to Ojai for treatment.
Tests revealed she had anemia, so she received a blood transfusion from another eagle. Despite scans and biopsies, experts could not figure out why she was ill. She died on Aug. 10 in the care of the Ojai Raptor Center.
Veterinary pathologists at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance performed the necropsy, Fish and Wildlife said in a joint statement with the wildlife alliance and the raptor center.
The necropsy found that highly pathogenic avian influenza was the “primary underlying cause of her decline,” and that the infection caused a severe stomach ulcer.
Jackie also showed signs of chronic disease involving the ventriculus, also known as the gizzard. The disease contributed to blood loss, anemia and a serious secondary bacterial infection.
A toxicology screening discovered brodifacoum, rat poison, in her liver, as well as other persistent environmental contaminants.
