A necropsy following the death of Jackie, an internet-famous bald eagle from California’s Big Bear Valley, has provided insight into the cause of her recent death. Jackie and her partner Shadow nested in front of a live-streaming trail camera operated by the Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV), but in August, Jackie became sick and eventually died in a wildlife rehabilitation center. Her main cause of death, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), in partnership with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and Ojai Raptor Center, was bird flu.
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[RELATED: ‘Soar Free, Jackie’: Beloved Bald Eagle Has Died in Wildlife Rehab]
“Jackie’s necropsy confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) as the primary underlying cause of her decline,” said Steve Kubiski, Director of Disease Investigations, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, in a press release. “In an uncommon presentation of the virus, the infection caused a severe ulcer in her stomach that led to persistent internal bleeding, anemia, and the development of bacterial sepsis.”
Read the full press release here.
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