After the crash, Jackie the eagle Big Bear's life is improving: 'he's thriving'
Internet-famous bald man Jackie's life is improving after a weekend scare, the latest twist in the saga that began when the rapper was rescued near Big Bear Lake earlier this month.
After receiving a life-saving blood transfusion last week, her blood count dropped again on Saturday, the Ojai Raptor Center, which is treating Jackie, said on social media. They described it as a throwback.
“Since then, he has improved again,” the center said on Monday. “She is self-feeding, her energy and alertness have improved significantly, and she is very quick at feeding time.”
The center cited a “full cell count” – which measures the percentage of red blood cells in his blood – as some of the most hopeful signs. It doubled to 16% on Monday compared to before the weekend. Although still below normal, it is an “encouraging development,” the agency said.
It's great news for Jackie's fans, who watch her and her mate Shadow raise chicks via live stream of their nest. But the matriarch isn't out of the woods just yet after being found limp and unable to fly on the north shore of Big Bear Lake on July 18.
Experts still haven't figured out what causes the eagle's troubling symptoms, which include kidney inflammation and severe anemia. During a good development, with the development of inflammation, he remains in a critical state.
While experts are trying to close the diagnosis, the center reported that they are getting a few prophylactic treatments and are “very optimistic.”
To the delight of Jackie's many fans, news broke Friday that OpenAI founder Greg Brockman and his wife Anna donated $5.5 million to help buy land slated for development near his family's nest.
Friends of Big Bear Valley, a nonprofit organization that operates a live stream of the nest, has long argued that the 63-acre parcel is important hunting ground for the area's bald eagles.
With Brockman's contribution, the fundraising goal of $10 million is reached and the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust can complete the project by the July 31 deadline. OpenAI is the artificial intelligence giant behind ChatGPT and Greg Brockman's net worth is estimated at more than $25 billion.
“I'm very excited about this,” Jenny Voisard, website and media manager for Friends of Big Bear Valley, told the Times last week. “I think we needed some good news given Jackie's situation.”
In its latest post, the Ojai Raptor Center posted a video montage of some of Jackie's milestones in treatment:
The day he arrived, Dr. Kathryn Rasp is shown inspecting a raptor, spreading a large wing. (Bald eagles can have wingspans of up to eight feet.)
On July 20, Jackie is still weak and lethargic even after receiving fluids and nutritional support for her upset stomach, the video notes. He crawls on the cloth in the caretaker's hands with his eyes closed, but wakes up when someone brings him raw meat.
The next day, the video shows healthcare workers euthanizing Jackie with a blood transfusion and noting that she was stronger and more alert the next day.
On Sunday, after his retreat, he hits a few times, the center confirms that he is “shining.”
“Reparations are rarely consistent,” the agency said. “We remain hopeful as we continue to search for the cause of his illness.”
