Visitors to the Leanne B. Roberts African Savanna exhibit at the San Francisco Zoo are immersed in this large, multi-species exhibit as the path winds around, under and through the lush environment. In our summative evaluation, findings from exit surveys, targeted observations and a tracking and timing study confirmed high levels of engagement, learning and enjoyment, and answered specific questions that the team had about visibility and viewing. Because of the vast size of the exhibit space and the fact that it contains several separate structures and viewing areas, I designed our tracking and timing protocol with13 zones, e.g., entry area, central viewing platform, Giraffe Barn, etc. Identifying smaller zones within the total habitat facilitated data collection and analysis and accommodated the fact that the animals do not stay in one place. Using zones in large exhibit situations is an approach which has since been adopted by other professionals in the field.

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