Woodchucks....aka Grondhogs...to the best of my knowledge eat vegatation most of the time..
maybe they have a special breed up yonder where Ryan camps out.
Any rodent can chew wires... and will... woodchucks routinely chew landscaping sprinkler control electronics, for instance...
That being said, woodchucks don't climb, so any damage is likely to be low-hanging and repairable.
Most likely a pack rat, and he's most likely still there.