Jackie, a bald eagle who lived in a nest high above the mountain community of Big Bear, died Monday after several weeks in intensive care. The eagle had been estimated to be about 14 years old.
For the past decade, a Big Bear webcam broadcasting the lives of Jackie and her partner Shadow drew viewers from around the world, according to accounts of the livestream. The channel garnered 822,000 subscribers on YouTube and over a million Facebook followers. Viewers watched Jackie's arrival in the nest, the deaths of earlier eaglets, and interactions with other birds in her nest.
Jackie recently hatched two eaglets, Sandy and Luna, who fledged after their April birth. She was found grounded after a fight with younger eagles in July and may have already been ill, according to veterinarians. She had also been suffering from anemia.
Public figures including actress Holly Robinson Peete and California senator Adam Schiff paid tribute to the eagle after her death. Peete wrote that Jackie "was regal, fierce, and deeply devoted," while Schiff said he had displayed the livestream in his Washington office. The Ojai Raptor Center, which cared for Jackie, said in a statement that "every decision was guided by the available medical evidence, her welfare, and our responsibility to do what was in her best interest."
