Elephant Retirees Lisa & Cita Arrive At Zoo Miami

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – There was a huge delivery at Zoo Miami Tuesday. Two African elephants dubbed the "Golden Girls" arrived from a zoo in Virginia, because, well, can you think of a better place to retire?

Lisa and Cita were ready to get out of their giant crates after spending 24 hours on the road from the Virginia Zoo.

Lisa, who is 42 years old, was born in the wild and arrived at the Virginia Zoo in 1976.

Cita is almost 48 years old and arrived at the Virginia Zoo from the Indianapolis Zoo in 2005.

South Florida, with its mild climate and abundant sunshine, offers the ideal retirement location for these elephants as they approach the sunset of their lives. Or as Zoo Miami Communications Director Ron Magill called it, "Club Med for elephants."

Their new all-inclusive accommodations will include roommates.

Peggy and Mabel are long time Miamians and the enclosure is kind of their domain.

Even though Lisa and Cita were quarantined elsewhere, the Zoo Miami duo could smell the new arrivals. They were captured on video standing guard.

The two 40 year olds then moved in formation to investigate, clearly showing they have spent some time together.

They were being territorial, not just getting ready to meet their new friends.

One of the resident elephants  then went wild in the exhibit's pool, splashing water everywhere.

Hopefully the water cooled off some tension, because after a short quarantine period the four elephants will be grouped together.

There also a 30-day quarantine for Cita and Lisa before their fully introduced to the public.

Visitors will be able to see all four lovely ladies together on May 20.

All of these females are beyond their reproductive ages and will not be part of any breeding program.