The potential educational impact of the Melbourne Zoo (Australia) for recreational visitors was examined in this study using time as the major dependent variable. Specific goals included: (1) assessment of the potential cognitive and affective educational impact of zoos on recreational visitors; (2) determination of the temporal and spatial patterns of the zoo visitors; and (3) improvement of the utility of nonreactive research methods. Data were collected on traffic density patterns, on observations of 18 groups of visitors during their entire visit to the zoo, observations at 18 specific exhibits, and from questionnaires (N=550) on visitors' feelings about 11 exhibits. Comparisons are made with the results of other zoo studies. The mean time of visits at the Melbourne zoo was 160 minutes, averaging 126 minutes walking among exhibits. It was recommended that both survey and nonreactive research methods be used in combination to cross-validate information on zoo studies. (ML)