Not ready for his swan song

Rupert is a swan, right? Because the way he’s living, he seems a bit

more like a cat with nine lives.

That poor swan has endured -- and thrived on -- the filthy,

polluted waters of Newport Harbor. Each heavy rain brings another

load of urban runoff into his domain.

Last week, a Newport Beach animal control officer found Rupert

wandering, weak and disoriented, along Bayside Drive. He had been

drinking again -- from Newport Harbor. Big mistake.

He was taken to the All Creatures Care Cottage in Costa Mesa for

some blood work and is recovering at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care

Center in Huntington Beach.

Medical tests showed that he likely has a bacterial infection,

which doctors at the care center attributed to pollution from the

rainstorms.

Rupert is no stranger to pollution -- or the wildlife center. His

mate, Pearl, died in 2002, following a diesel fuel spill that

prevented her from fighting an infection. Luckily her famous mate,

who is thought to be at least 16 years old, is quite the fighter.

Hang in there, Rupert.