Hi Marti, Is there any way you can post a picture of the panel? Can you find the panel from a website even and share it?
As a thought without seeing a picture I would maybe outline the major items of the panel. You could maybe do some echo quilting. I would think about following features lines of the animal. You could enhance features of the ground area. Since it's a wall hanging, is it going to be washed? If not then you don't need a lot of quilting since it will be hanging on the wall.
Pam M