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<\/p>\nJackie amassed millions of devoted fans thanks to a nonstop livestream of the aerie overlooking Big Bear Lake she shared with mate Shadow. When Big Bear\u2019s celebrity eagle died in August, questions swirled about what had gone wrong.<\/p>\n
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Wednesday 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. <\/p>\n
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The livestream captures Jackie inspecting one of her eggs in 2023. <\/p>\n
(Friends of Big Bear Valley)<\/p>\n
In July, the eagle was found weak and disheveled<\/a> on the shoreline of Big Bear Lake. She was taken to Ojai for treatment. Tests revealed she had anemia<\/a>, 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. <\/p>\n Veterinary pathologists at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance performed the necropsy, Fish and Wildlife said in a joint statement<\/a> with the wildlife alliance and the raptor center. <\/p>\n The necropsy found that highly pathogenic avian influenza was the \u201cprimary underlying cause of her decline,\u201d and that the infection caused a severe stomach ulcer.<\/p>\n 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 \u2014 rat poison \u2014 in her liver, as well as other persistent environmental contaminants.<\/p>\n (Friends of Big Bear Valley)<\/p>\n \u201cThe necropsy did not find uncontrolled bleeding typically associated with anticoagulant rodenticide; therefore, brodifacoum was not identified as the primary cause of illness or death,\u201d Fish and Wildlife said.<\/p>\n Experts have also ruled out West Nile virus and heavy metals as factors that could have contributed to her death.<\/p>\n \u201cThe necropsy results have helped connect many of the findings we were seeing throughout the eagle\u2019s hospitalization,\u201d Chris Eksteen, executive director of the Ojai Raptor Center, said in the statement. <\/p>\n Jackie\u2019s remains were cremated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service\u2019s National Eagle Repository to prevent the spread of bird flu, according to Fish and Wildlife.<\/p>\n Muralist Wes Abarca works on an image of Jackie for a memorial event at Bear Mountain Resort on Oct. 3.<\/p>\n (Christina House \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n![\"Bald](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/.gif\")
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