Deep in the galleys of the boat, a stowaway was lurking. Its beady eyes darted. It sniffed the air. Its whiskers twitched. The little raccoon didn’t mean any harm. But it carried a deadly disease.

At least, that’s how experts think it happened. In 1999, the Catalina Island fox population nosedived when canine distemper disease struck their island home. Did the disease really come from a raccoon on a boat? No one is sure. But one thing was certain: The foxes couldn’t handle the sickness. Soon the island had only 100 foxes left.

But there’s good news—at least, it’s good news if you’re a fox. The Island foxes received vaccinations for distemper. Now they are back! In fact, they’re better than back. Now the island has even more foxes than it did before the disease—hundreds more. About 1,700 Island foxes live on the California island. That’s a lot for a small space!

Sometimes we get to live with animals. You get to live with your favorite dog, cat, or horse. Other times, we have to live with animals. For the people of Catalina, the Island foxes have become a “have to.” The foxes have started moving out of the woods into the city. They have never lived with predators. They do not fear humans or cars. They get stuck in uncovered water containers or trapped in dumpsters. Tourists have to learn how to live near them without hurting them. Some have to buy garbage cans the animals can’t get into. Those cost $2,000 each!

Where do you live? Do you have a “have-to” animal that you put up with? What is it?