The latest bloodwork for the famed Big Bear bald eagle, Jackie, shows her health has taken a downturn, according to a Monday afternoon, Aug. 3, update from a Ventura County-based rescue facility.
It has been over two weeks since Jackie, whose life is streamed live by Friends of Big Bear Valley, an environmental nonprofit group, was discovered grounded for hours after a fight with two young adult eagles. Since her rescue, Jackie has been receiving medical care at the Ventura County wildlife rescue facility, Ojai Raptor Center, for diagnosis and treatment of a condition that has weakened her.
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“Today’s bloodwork brought some difficult news,” a Facebook post from the center states. “Her packed cell volume (PCV) has dropped to 13%, which means her anemia has worsened since our last update.”
Packed cell volume measures the percentage of red blood cells in a bloodstream.
“Our veterinary team is responding quickly,” the Ojai posted continued. “Additional advanced diagnostic testing is now underway, and expedited laboratory testing has been requested as we continue working to better understand her condition and guide the next steps in her treatment.”
Friends of Big Bear Valley also posted a companion update reminding the public that the nonprofit organization is not involved in Jackie’s medical care and cannot answer medical questions.
The news comes days after the wildlife rescue center said Friday, July 31, that the cause of Jackie’s ailing health remains a mystery.
In the Friday update, the Ojai center said Jackie’s previous blood work showed she was still anemic and had an elevated white blood cell count.
“Which tells us her body is responding to inflammation, stress or a possible infection,” Chris Eksteen, executive director of the Ventura County-based rescue center, said in a video.
Center officials suspect Jackie was ill before her rescue.
The Jackie and Shadow community continues to hold its breath.
“It must be a rare condition if they can’t figure her out,” Veronica Guerrero commented on the Monday Ojai post. “Jackie was probably suffering for some time of anemia but just caught up to her with more difficult complications.”
Another commenter, Jen Murphy, wrote: “While my hopes for her release are dimming, I’m praying they are able to find a way to treat her and have her be an ambassador for all of our beautiful raptors.”