Rehabilitated loggerhead 'June Cleaver' returned to Atlantic off Florida
Marine biologists released a 230-pound loggerhead after two months of care; she laid 113 eggs during rehabilitation
Marine biologists on Florida’s Space Coast on Wednesday released a 230-pound loggerhead sea turtle named June Cleaver back into the Atlantic Ocean after two months of rehabilitation at the Brevard Zoo’s Sea Turtle Healing Center in Melbourne, Florida.
The release drew about 300 beachgoers. June Cleaver was first observed in June on Melbourne Beach having difficulty laying eggs and was transported by the Sea Turtle Preservation Society to the healing center, where veterinarians determined she had been struck by a boat.
Staff at the center conducted several CT scans to assess damage to her carapace. The scans indicated the injury to her top shell was not life-threatening but required care and time to recover. While under the center’s supervision, June Cleaver laid 113 eggs in a pool. Biologists relocated and buried the eggs on the beach to allow them to incubate under natural conditions, the center said.
The Brevard Zoo’s Sea Turtle Healing Center provides medical treatment and rehabilitation for sea turtles found injured, ill or entangled along Florida’s coastline. Care typically includes diagnostic imaging, wound treatment, supportive care and, when necessary, assisted feeding and physical rehabilitation until animals are fit to be returned to the wild.
Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) commonly nest on Florida’s beaches and face threats from vessel strikes, fishing gear interactions, coastal development and changing ocean conditions. Rehabilitation centers and volunteer groups play a central role in responding to strandings, treating injuries and protecting nests during incubation.
Officials did not report whether June Cleaver carried identification tags or a satellite transmitter at the time of release. The Sea Turtle Preservation Society and Brevard Zoo have in recent years combined rescue, rehabilitation and public outreach efforts to increase survival chances for injured sea turtles and to educate coastal communities about reducing threats such as boat strikes.
June Cleaver’s recovery and release follow broader seasonal and conservation patterns on the Space Coast, where nesting activity typically peaks in summer months. Sea turtle nests require monitoring because incubation temperatures and beach conditions influence hatchling survival and, in species with temperature-dependent sex determination, the sex ratios of emerging hatchlings.
Rehabilitated animals are usually released at or near their original recovery locations when veterinarians judge them healthy and able to forage and avoid predators. The Brevard Zoo’s program said June Cleaver was cleared for release after veterinary assessment and rehabilitation protocols were completed.