Marisa O'Neil
The rains that drenched Newport-Mesa last week also made Rupert the
black swan, one of Newport Harbor's most famous residents, a little
under the weather.
On Thursday, a Newport Beach animal control officer found Rupert
wandering, weak and disoriented, along Bayside Drive, said Debbie
McGuire, wildlife director for the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center
in Huntington Beach. After a brief stop for some blood work at the
All Creatures Care Cottage in Costa Mesa, Rupert is recovering at the
care center.
And, true to his personality, he's a little cranky about it.
"Rupert's used to having the whole bay to himself," McGuire said.
"But, unfortunately, he got sick because of the pollution in the
bay."
Medical tests showed that he likely has a bacterial infection, she
said. That would make sense, since rainstorms like the one last week
wash pollution downstream into Rupert's home, she said.
Rupert has seen his fair share of pollution and has found himself
at the center numerous times, wildlife technician Susanna Kraig said.
His mate, Pearl, died in 2002, following a diesel fuel spill that
prevented her from fighting an infection.
The famous swan is thought to be at least 16 years old, said
Balboa resident and unofficial caretaker Gay Wassall-Kelly. In the
best conditions, in captivity, swans can live 25 to 30 years. But the
bay isn't the healthiest body of water, Wassall-Kelly said.
"After the storm, the harbor was just so brown," she said. "We
don't let our kids swim in it and he's like one of our kids. But we
can't stop him."
It may be time to find a more comfortable setting for him, she
said, one that's cleaner and more controlled. But she knows everyone
would miss his presence in the bay.
For now, he's getting some rest and relaxation, along with some
medication, to get him back into shape. He should be healthy again in
another week, Kraig said.
And that'll be none too soon for Rupert, who doesn't appreciate
sharing a pen with a gaggle of 10 geese, temporarily relocated from
TeWinkle Park.
"They have a truce," Kraig said of the waterfowl. "He doesn't mess
with the geese. They come up and nip him, then he turns around and
hisses. They back off."
