Scratch That! Environment Is Crucial

I decided to change my mind about just the background. What I do like: diffused light coming through trees. Definitely must have some trees, or plants, or something! Without these, the animals look too formal, somewhat lonely, and a bit out of place. The plan is to still go about the background similarly, but also adding in an additional step- middleground. Yes, I must have a grip on some middleground.