Thousands of sea turtles end up injured or dying along the U.S. coast every year. The lucky ones find their way to rehabilitation facilities, where staff and volunteers do all they can to get the animal back into the wild.

It can be a long and expensive process. "Turtles are really resilient, but they heal really slowly," says Jennifer Dittmar, manager of the animal rescue program at National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland. The sea turtles that pass through her facility generally stay a minimum of three months and often longer, depending on the severity of their injuries or illness, she says. The cost for such a stay can run up to tens of thousands of dollars. (See pictures