This November photo of Curry the loggerhead sea turtle mid-treatment! We’ll be releasing Curry soon!

We’re spicing up the ocean with a healthy dose of Curry! Curry the sub-adult loggerhead is heading home after a four-month stay at our Sea Turtle Healing Center. Curry will be released at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, February 28, from James H. Nance Park, 201 N Miramar Ave. in Indialantic.  

This sea turtle release is open to the public! Flippers will be in the water by 11 a.m., so we recommend you arrive early.  

Curry was found washed ashore covered in barnacles and algae along Melbourne Beach on Oct. 2, 2023 – during National Curry Week. This turtle had a suspected propeller strike injury on their shell. Curry was brought to our Healing Center by the Sea Turtle Preservation Society – thank you!  

Our Healing Center team noted that Curry had buoyancy issues that caused them to list to one side. A CT scan found that Curry had air in the body cavity, likely due to a tear in the lung. Curry underwent surgery to release some of the air from the body cavity and help with their buoyancy issues until the loggerhead was able to heal from the lung tear.  

Another CT scan on Oct. 27 found that Curry had pneumonia, which they recovered well from thanks to nebulizer treatments and antibiotics. Sea Turtle Healing Center coordinator Jess Patterson had to fashion an airtight hood to properly administer the medications for Curry’s pneumonia, which they made from a gallon water jug, pool noodles and recycled wetsuits!   

Curry will be remembered by our Healing Center staff and volunteers for their “spicy” and curious personality! Curry is highly food motivated – and loves their “itchy” enrichment. This device is made of PVC pipes and allows turtles to rub the top of their shell on it – like they would a rock ledge in the ocean! 

Curry would rub on their itchy all day and slept next to or under it. Volunteers knew Curry was enjoying rubbing on their itchy by the loud banging of the toy against the tank walls breaking through the quiet of the day! 

Returning our sea turtle patients home to the ocean is always an incredible moment for our Healing Center staff and volunteers – we hope you can join us in wishing Curry well on their journey! 

Have you found a sea turtle that needs help? Visit this page or call the Sea Turtle Preservation Society at 321-206-0646.

Want to help the Sea Turtle Healing Center? Support our Zoo, or view our Healing Center’s wishlist.