Injured bald eagle rescued in Big Bear believed to be Jackie, Friends of Big Bear Valley says

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. (KABC) — An injured bald eagle rescued in Big Bear after getting into a fight with two other eagles is believed to be Jackie, one half of the area’s beloved bald eagle pair.

The Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department said its San Dimas Raptor Rescue Team rescued the eagle early Saturday morning and transported it to a rehabilitation facility in Ojai for treatment.

In an update Monday, the Ojai Raptor Center said a full medical evaluation is underway, and the eagle is receiving outstanding veterinary care from the team.

In a Posted on FacebookFriends of Big Bear Valley said an eagle was involved in a fight with two other younger eagles at Dana Point Park, and cellphone video confirmed that it “was able to fend off the other eagles by flipping over and using its talons, but was unable to fly away.”

Eyewitness News spoke with Friends of Big Bear Valley, a non-profit organization tracking Jackie and Shadow, about what led to Jackie’s disappearance.

“Well, since the fireworks, we haven’t seen much of Jackie. She came to the nest on the 12th, and she seemed very hungry,” said Jenny Voisard of Friends of Big Bear Valley.

Voisard said a Fawnskin resident spotted an eagle believed to be Jackie in an altercation with two sub-adult eagles in the lake, near the nest.

Speculation spread quickly across the Internet about the eagle’s identity. The nonprofit said Jackie was not seen for several days in the nest she shares with her partner, Shadow, which is monitored by the nonprofit. Via live broadcast. Since she wasn’t on a leash, they couldn’t say for sure if it was her.

However, the group he wrote in a social media post Sunday evening It is clear that the rescued eagle is most likely Jackie.

“She was able to defend herself from both. They wanted her fish, and maybe her territory, but she wasn’t able to fly away,” Voisard said.

Fortunately, San Dimas Raptor Rescue made the two-hour trip Friday night and were able to rescue the eagle early Saturday morning.

“We were able to do the rescue very quickly, and unfortunately the eagle appeared very weak and very tired,” said Noemi Navarre with the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation. Navarre was part of the team that helped rescue Jackie early Saturday morning.

“Very weak. Her feathers were very irregular and she was very underweight,” said Christine Koh, raptor rehabilitation manager.

Big Bear Valley friends said Jackie is in good hands.

“They didn’t see any obvious injuries, but they were definitely very weak and needed to eat. So, they decided to take her to the Ojai Raptor Resource Center, where Jackie is now,” Voisard said.

The nonprofit says Jackie’s condition is stable and they are awaiting diagnostic results, which could take several days.

“Fortunately, she didn’t have any major cuts or any fractures that we could feel, just from the physical examination, which is good. But the fact that she was in a fight with someone who was less than an adult and simply couldn’t win, because Jackie, at her best, certainly wouldn’t have had a problem with someone who was less than an adult,” Koh said. “The eagle that appeared in the video of the fight was clearly in trouble.”

The question now is when will Jackie return to the nest?

“Just like when one of our loved ones is sick or in the hospital, and we’re in the waiting room, we just have to wait. Of course people are worried. People are praying. People are donating now to rescue centers, which is great, because we need that. We just have to lean on each other and stay positive,” Voisard said.

Volunteers who helped rescue Jackie believe it will likely be weeks before she is released, supposedly back home in Big Bear.

Meanwhile, Jackie and Shadow’s two eagles from this season, Sandy and Luna, are out of the nest but come back often for visits. Their father, Shadow, would watch over them and serve them meals.