Bon voyage, Poinsettia! (Photo credit: Cindy Lang)

Call it Christmas in April – Poinsettia the green sea turtle is back in the ocean! Poinsettia went home recently in a private release, and was placed back in the ocean by a member of the same organization who first came to their aid.

This juvenile sea turtle was found struggling at the water’s surface in the Indian River south of Sebastian Inlet on Dec. 17, 2026. Coastal Connections brought Poinsettia to East Coast Zoological Foundation’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center at Brevard Zoo for help.

At our Rehabilitation Center, Poinsettia was treated for gastrointestinal issues. This little turtle has a remarkable amount of marine leeches, most likely the cause of their anemia, dull responsiveness and other poor blood values.

Poinsettia also has fibropapillomatosis, a debilitating disease with no cure that causes external and internal tumors to grow all over a turtle’s body. Poinsettia’s tumors are small and not life-threatening. We are hopeful that returning the turtle to their natural environment with a healthy immune system, their body will begin to regress the small tumors.

Medical care, good nutrition and rest perked Poinsettia back up, and we’re thrilled to be able to return this sea turtle back to the ocean to fulfill their important roles in our ecosystem.