Two white lioness sisters rescued from a North Texas zoo are now getting a second chance at life at a wildlife sanctuary in Wylie. Video documented by the Animal Legal Defense Fund at what the advocacy group described as a roadside zoo showed the sisters, Kali and Nzuri, weak, unstable and barely able to walk. The group said concerns about the lions’ deteriorating health prompted intervention and ultimately helped lead to their release. At their new home, In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue, veterinarians and staff are focused on improving the sisters’ quality of life. Dr. Stephanie Lagrone said she joined the transport that brought the lions to the sanctuary. “It was really odd because you could see everyone that previously worked with them really did care about them,” Lagrone said. “They were tearful when they were leaving. But they were obviously missing the ball as far as their health care went.” After two weeks at the sanctuary, staff said Kali and Nzuri are showing small signs of improvement. Each day begins with treatment for a parasitic disease and a severe vitamin A deficiency. Lagrone said those conditions caused neurological problems that affected the lions’ mobility. “To be kind of diminished to this is really sad to see,” Lagrone said. How much recovery is possible remains unclear. “So that’s sort of where the unknown comes in for them, if we would’ve started treatment years ago, this may have been completely reversible,” Lagrone said. Lagrone said restoring the sisters to full strength may not be realistic, but the goal now is to give them comfort and a better quality of life. “They have a happy life here, that’s really all we can hope for them,” Lagrone said. NBC 5 contacted the zoo, but it did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication. ...read more read less