Fans Remember Jackie the Eagle, Who Became a Social Media Star Worldwide: ‘Regal, Fierce, Deeply Devoted’ — SkimNews
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- Jackie the bald eagle died Monday after several weeks in intensive care, prompting LA outlets including KNBC and KTLA to lead Monday-night coverage of the fan mourning.
- Big Bear nest webcam broadcast Jackie and partner Shadow for a decade, amassing 822,000 YouTube subscribers and over a million Facebook followers worldwide.
- Actress Holly Robinson Peete called Jackie "regal, fierce, and deeply devoted," writing that the eagle made millions of viewers care about one tree nest like it was their own backyard.
- Senator Adam Schiff said his Washington office proudly showed Jackie's livestream alongside C-SPAN and national news, calling the eagle "California's pride" after her death.
- Jackie was estimated to be about 14 years old and had hatched two eaglets, Sandy and Luna, born in April who have since fledged the nest.
- Veterinarians at the Ojai Raptor Center found Jackie grounded after a July fight with younger eagles and already suffering from anemia, the center said in a statement expressing heartbreak.
Why it matters: The public response to Jackie's death has nearly approached the 2022 reaction to mountain lion P-22's euthanasia — a benchmark that established wildlife as a mass-media celebrity category in Southern California, complete with statements from a US senator and Hollywood figures for an animal they never met in person.
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