As a former designer of in-grade and underwater lighting apparatus, I at first though the shift lever must have come out of the alkaline soils of Florida.

But I see you are in BC, I guess you have alkaline soil up there as well. I just hope that your yard isn't something like a bulldozed meth lab from the distant past.

We used to have to spec very expensive bronze castings for certain locations, to keep the apparatus from dissolving.

As for the animals, I live on a ravine where animals of all types regularly mutilate each other. You should see the turkey vultures circling in, not to mention all of the nighttime sounds might lead someone to believe that sasquatch and demons were having a genuine tussle.