Milwaukee County Zoo's new elephant Belle arrives early Wednesday morning from South Carolina

For the first time in more than a decade, the Milwaukee County Zoo is welcoming an elephant.

Belle, a 38-year-old African elephant, pulled up to the zoo in a truck along with three of her keepers from South Carolina at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Belle joins the Milwaukee Zoo's pachyderms Brittany and Ruth, who are also 38 years old, in the new elephant quarters that opened earlier this year.

Zoo Director Chuck Wikenhauser said in a release that Belle is a good fit with Brittany and Ruth.

"We've been taking care of elephants of advancing age for many years, and know these animals benefit greatly when placed with herd mates, as socialization adds to the animals' overall well-being and enriches their lives," Wikenhauser said.

Belle arrived in 2001 at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina, from the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo. At a statuesque 7 feet 9 inches and 7,920 pounds, Belle enjoys baths and has been known to drift off to sleep in the middle of a bath. She earned the nickname Diva because she prefers to move at her own pace.

Accompanying Belle from the South Carolina zoo is her elephant manager, senior keeper of hoofstock and director of animal health. They will stay in Milwaukee for a few days to help with the transition.

The elephant manager has worked with Belle for 18 years when the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden's elephant exhibit opened. Belle came to Milwaukee because Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is building a Southern white rhino habitat.

While Riverbanks officials searched for a new home for Belle, Milwaukee County Zoo authorities were looking to expand its herd after building a new elephant exhibit. The new exhibit opened in May and features a 98,000-gallon watering hole – big enough to accommodate three fully-submerged elephants – in a 1.6-acre outdoor habitat. It also houses a 20,000-square-foot Elephant Care Center featuring five stalls for training, enrichment and medical procedures.

The Milwaukee and Columbia zoos consulted with the African Elephant Species Survival Plan to find the best social group for Belle.

Riverbanks keepers have worked with Belle for several months to prepare her for the move. She is in the Milwaukee Zoo's indoor Elephant Care Center,  which will be closed to visitors until keepers feel she is comfortable. 

After a month or so, Milwaukee Zoo elephant care staff will slowly introduce Belle to Ruth and Brittany. It's probable that Belle will be introduced to Brittany first since she is the Milwaukee Zoo's dominant female, and then Ruth.

Once the three elephants are interacting with each other, visitors will be able to figure out which one is Belle – the animal without tusks. Belle's ivory tusks were removed because of a tooth infection when she was younger.

Brittany was 20 when she arrived in June 2001 from the zoo in Greenville, South Carolina,  and Ruth arrived in December 2006 from a zoo in Brownsville, Texas. At 7,737 pounds, Brittany is smaller than Ruth, who weighs 10,397 pounds. 

The average life span for African elephants in zoos is 43 to 45 years.

The zoo's former elephant space could accommodate only two elephants, and under Association of Zoos & Aquariums recently updated guidelines for accredited facilities, elephant quarters must be large enough to house at least three animals. The Milwaukee Zoo has room for as many as five elephants.

Milwaukee is fortunate to have elephants — no association-accredited zoos in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, North and South Dakota or Michigan currently have the creatures. The nearest elephants are at accredited zoos in Indianapolis and St. Louis.