Native tribes inherit remains of Californias celebrity eagle as fans turn on each other: People get too involved

The death of California’s most famous bald eagle has sparked a fiery battle over her final resting place, with heartbroken fans demanding she be returned to the mountain home where she became an internet sensation.Jackie, the beloved Big Bear bald eagle whose nest was watched by millions through a nonstop livestream, died Aug.10 after three weeks in the ICU and a lengthy battle with anemia.Now, her remains are expected to be sent to the National Eagle Repository, a federal facility that provides eagle feathers, parts and whole bodies to members of federally recognized Native American tribes for religious and cultural purposes.This has made some of Jackie’s devoted followers furious.A Change.org petition calling for officials to pause the process and explore a legal way to preserve Jackie for educational, scientific, conservation or memorial purposes has garnered more than 1,200 signatures.“I fully respect the purpose of the National Eagle Repository, but before Jackie’s remains are irreversibly separated and distributed, please PAUSE AND FIND a lawful way to bring Jackie Home,” one supporter wrote.Another pleaded for Jackie to be buried near the tree where she was born and spent her life raising eaglets with her mate, Shadow.“She deserves this basic dignity,” the person wrote, adding that the thought of her remains being sent away and “divvied up” was “an intolerably painful thought to bear.”Sandra Sehl, a 53-year-old Connecticut resident who watched Jackie and Shadow for about seven years, launched one of the petitions.Sehl told the Los Angeles Times that she envisioned Jackie being taxidermied and displayed beside a replica of her nest so visitors could learn about the famous bird.“I just want to give her a chance to go back home,” Sehl said.

“I think that’s where she would want to go.”But the campaign has triggered a backlash of its own, with other Jackie fans arguing that her celebrity shouldn’t give her special treatment.Sherr...