mountain lion in ct 2020
Adult males can be around 8 feet in length and weigh between 130 and 150 pounds, while adult females can be 7 feet long and weigh between 65 and 90 pounds. A self-defense connoisseur with a large social media presence has ignited a firestorm over his posting of a video showing a mountain lion getting shot in the head. Another important difference: bobcats are found in Connecticut while mountain lions are not. Thats only a fraction of the supposed sightings. Its distinctive featurethe one that sets it apart from other North American wild catsis its tail, which is thick and often as long as its body. No doubt of what it was; size, color and recognizable tail. We think theyre coming in from Canada, Betty told me. . Over time, Wright became convinced Eastern cougars lived in small pockets in the deep woods. Its a cool story with how far that animal walked. Advocates of the proposed Aid in Dying bill made an emotional plea to state legislators in Hartford on Wednesday to approve the legislation, introduced 15 separate times in Connecticut since 1994. Friends that go backcountry skiing in Vermont have reported seeing tracks to me many times and I have seen pictures of the pawprints myself that look overwheming like a mountain lion. When a group of officers arrived at a neighborhood in Loveland, Colorado . My parents friend in Deposit, NY, posted a young catamount sitting on the front porch on Facebook. [The catamounts] movements were so noiseless that Mr. Crowell found himself in this dangerous proximity before he was aware of it, and it was only by great coolness and daring that he severely wounded the animal and perhaps saved his own life, reads a placard attached to the display case. I thought I saw signs posted in Pawling NY about 8 years ago, that DEC released a pair to control deer population,mane several people have seen them in Wingdale, NY. On one side, there are those (as represented here by Sue Morse, Kim Royar, and Christopher Spatz, along with a number of others I spoke with) who contend that the lack of verifiable evidence is proof that the animals are not here. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. But perhaps an even larger portion is the product of his enduring faith in the men and womanloggers, hunters, trapperswhose vocations and avocations have instilled in them a deep familiarity with wild places and the creatures who inhabit them. Learn More . The tails gotta be there. I did call in a report to CT DEP and they basically dismissed my narrative questioning whether I made a mistake confusing the animal I saw with a bobcat or fisher cat. If theyre in one, theyre in the other.. There were caribou antlers mounted above the front doors, and the interior walls were covered in row upon row of books; a long table was piled high with still more books in seemingly random arrangements. For decades afterward, there were reported sightings of the mythical creature prowling the woods around town. UConn women's basketball's Dorka Juhsz, Amari DeBerry play 'word sneak' at press conference, Fight breaks out after CT high school basketball game between Bassick, Wilbur Cross, Amanda Bynes, Steve from 'Blues Clues' to appear at 90s Con in CT, Connecticut paranormal convention coming back this spring, Bridgeport woman competes to find love on Paramount+ dating show, Self-taught pianist Serene to perform at Grace Farms. As a The police and everyone else just shook their heads but she to her dying breath said she saw a mountain lion in Lexington MA. Theyre here. Tim Abbott, the regional land conservation and greenprint director for the Housatonic Valley Association, says that during a lecture on mountain lions last winter at Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village, when the speaker asked if anyone had seen a mountain lion, half of the roughly 400 people in attendance raised their hands. "Connecticut is cougar heaven . Hes spent this winter hoping for colder temperatures so he can use it. "There's no evidence of breeding pairs," he said. I have pictures of tracks around my car and up to the back steps of my deck in Arkville, NY . Facebook Twitter Email Copy to clipboard Live Now All times eastern NOW - 8:30 AM 8:30 AM 9:00 AM 9:30 AM 10:00 AM 10:30 AM Fox News. The journey is chronicled in the 2016 book, Abbott, of the Housatonic Valley Association, is equally skeptical of the vast majority of mountain lion sightings. Middlebury, Vermont | Could You Live Here? Fish and Wildlife Service unofficially declared the Eastern cougar extinct. Then in June 2011, there were reports of a mountain lion in Greenwich and, for the first time, a photo. Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. This isnt to say she believes none of these animals has stepped foot on New England soil over the past century. What color was it? Bearded, bowler hat, expression impenetrable behind facial hair and the stoicism of an earlier era. At least once a year thered be a story from somewhere, but I only ran the absolute best, he told me. What set it off was a National Geographic special on mountain lions in California, right after my daughter and I had two encounters in my driveway, Betty told me. I came across a dead adult deer carcass high up in an oak tree. It lowers the population in a way thats not going to affect the long-term population. Hear the full interview: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators, Connecticut Dept. Learn More Who We Are & What We Do. We need cougars and we need wolves back in the Northeast, because a landscape of fear is a well-balanced landscape.. Colorado and California have the highest estimated populations of mountain lions in the United States. Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. No need since so we guess it has moved on from the northeast corner of Connecticut. To obtain grouse distribution and harvest information, the Wildlife Division is asking grouse hunters to submit hunting reports through the Ruffed Grouse Hunter Log . There is also something appealing about the idea that there is an animal out there so cunning that it has escaped our notice and the eyes of our cameras. What time of day was it? But that was OK. Bo Ottmann knew they were out there. Part of this belief is rooted in his journalistic experience, which across the decades has cultivated his nose for sincerity. This is always been a debate however as someone who is an avid Outdoorsman I can say with certainty I know of at least 12 people that have personal accounts of seeing mountain lion in Central and Western Massachusetts. Sign up for our newsletterto get the latest and greatest content fromConnecticut Magazinedelivered right to your inbox. Betty, for instance, has presented on Eastern cougars more than 300 times, gathering many hundreds of sighting reports in the process. DEEP believes their numbers have increased in recent years. I could hear the steady rush of traffic on Route 315. Others have seen cougar in neighboring towns . However, when I asked the room of 200 or so people how many believe they had seen a mountain lion/cougar/puma/catamount, hands shot up all around the room about 25% of those present. The regions top predator, the coyote, is classified by biologists as a mesopredator (a type that in New England includes skunks and raccoons), which feeds primarily on smaller animals. The first time was in the yard which was surrounded by woods. On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. In my mind, I went through all the nots. Many, many times, in many different ways along its travel up through Minnesota, Michigan and to Canada, down through New York, through hair samples, blood samples, trail camera photos. building a betterand more civilConnecticut to live, work, and play. Residents of Greenwich, Conn., have reported seeing a mountain lion roaming the woods -- even though the species is extinct in the region, MyFoxNY.com reports. I was aware, too, of how a certain mythology surrounding the animal had taken root in Vermonts culture and even its identity: The University of Vermonts athletic teams, for instance, are known as the Vermont Catamounts, and their logo features a snarling cat lunging through the cleft of a V.. The scientific name for the catamount is Puma concolor. , located in the golf course community of Coyote Lakes. You need to understand that every biologist that works for the state has a duty to deny mountain lions. Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. vital part of this countries ecosystem. I lived in Woodstock, CT in 2005/2006. On the other side, there are those (as represented here by Bill Betty and Bo Ottmann, along with a number of others I spoke with) who say the overwhelming quantity of anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise. He wore red suspenders and a baseball cap. Lol Here is a small glimpse at what these dogs were bred to do (if you got sensitive eyes, do not view): Ive seen bobcats before, this wasnt a bobcat. And its a lose-lose situation, because theres really not a whole lot you can tell them in most cases thats going to change their mind.. The last catamount killed in Vermont stands under glass just inside the doors to the Vermont Historical Museum in Montpelier, a hop, skip, and a jump down the block from the statehouse. And the clincher, What would you say was the most distinguishing feature? Because while male cougars eventually strike out on their own and occasionally wander far from home, females are, as Morse puts it, hardwired to remain close to their mothers home range. The Mountain Lion will return to feed on the prey for up to 10 days. But its also a great story that lays out how an animal this large, at 150 pounds, traveling through even rural areas, leaves signs and is detected. Verified Mountain Lion-Human Attacks. Not a bobcat 100% mountain lion and anybody that tries to think a bobcat as any resemblance to a mountain lion clearly has no idea about wildlife there are a lot of false reports because of this however they are without a doubt in part of New England and fish and game has as usual covered up despite coming out and following mountain lion tracks in the snow through the woods in Central Mass and finding a deer carcass 20 feet up in a tree and said to the landowner yep you probably have a mountain lion passing through and asked for the homeowner not to speak much about it furthermore DNA confirmation of a horse that was attacked in Petersham Massachusetts in the last several years and also the Quabbin Reservoir DNA were mountain lion without a doubt they are here. But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. Action Alerts. Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators., Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. Initially, officials believed it had been released from a private handler. Now, ocelots are critically endangered and jaguarundis might be completely gone. Hawley, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, says data dont support a breeding population of mountain lions in Connecticut. Because he lives among them, Harrigan understands that no one knows the woods better. They reside in all eight counties, however, they exist in greatest number in the northwestern corner of the state. An Arkansas woman captured a big cat on her doorbell camera that she believes is a mountain lion or cougar. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. Forty years of reporting on New Hampshire cougar sightings has convinced Harrigan that the state is home to at least a handful of breeding animals. On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. It is hard for me to believe that the big cats havent found plenty of space to roam without regular detection. Cougars, Lynx, Bobcats, Wolves, Bears etc were and are a People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. I knew it was a cat track because the tracks were in a straight line and no signs of claws like you would see with a coyote track. 2439 Adams Farm Ct, Snow Camp, NC 27349 $299,000 MLS# 2479163 PRICE REDUCTION!! We get a lot of pictures sent to us, and people say, I took this picture of a mountain lion in my backyard. And Ill look at it, and to me, its clearly a bobcat, Hawley said. Height at shoulder: 25-30 in. Anyone who encounters a Mountain lion should file a report with CPW online or by calling CPW Headquarters in Denver at (303) 297-1192, or the Northeast Region Office (also in Denver) at (303) 291 . If you have a worldview in which the government is conspiring to do weird stuff, than thats what youre going to see, and all the evidence is going to point to exactly what you believe, he says. Theres also the lack of visual evidence, more glaring each passing year as so many hikers and hunters now carry phones with cameras. At the time, a specialist from the Iowa Department of Natural. But the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said Sunday that bobcats are the only large wild cats found in the state. Lets learn to live alongside this very large animal is one of the schools of thought. For who but we humans can look across the landscape and not acknowledge our role in the diminishment of cougars and the myriad ways in which we have knocked the landscape out of balance? Reading Time: 4 mins read . With all the thousands of trail cameras in the woods of New England, one would think that there would be at least one picture taken of a catamount. Osage County leads the list with seven, followed by Cimarron County with six. I wasnt planning to shoot her unless she moved in my direction. When I accepted the assignment to write about my quest to uncover the truth regarding the existence of cougars in New England, I had little idea what I was agreeing to. Records suggest that cash bounties for cougar kills were relatively common in the late 1700s and early 1800s; in the Adirondacks, a trapper named Thomas Meacham was credited with 77 cougar kills. I was aware, too, of how a certain mythology surrounding the animal had taken root in Vermonts culture and even its identity: The University of Vermonts athletic teams, for instance, are known as the Vermont Catamounts, and their logo features a snarling cat lunging through the cleft of a V., I met with Morse at her home in Jericho. The cougar and the states refusal to admit it was here made the local paper. 5-7 yards from me. Zillow has 20 photos of this $299,000 3 beds, 2 baths, -- sqft single family home located at 2439 Adams Farm Ct, Snow Camp, NC 27349 built in 1999. So theres fresh mud. Indeed, in 2011, a male cougar was hit and killed by a car in Milford, Connecticut; through its DNA, wildlife biologists were able to trace the cat back to South Dakotas Black Hills, some 2,000 miles distant. Its fur is a light, tawny brown color which can appear gray or almost black, depending on light conditions. As I rushed to meet her in the woods, she told me what she had seen. These sightings are so persistent that there is a conspiracy theory that says DEEP officials know mountain lions are in the state but cover up their existence. Nearby grocery stores include Food Lion, Star Food. We were about 50 feet from it and it stood taller than any labrador and we watched it tail and all slink down the side of the lawn and the rabbits being surprised out of the bushes. As I walked thru the beginning of the trail I spooked a deer and heard this awful screech and slowly backed out of there .. To Betty and Ottmann, the dominant narrative of the occasional itinerant cougar from the West is not particularly relevant to the facts on the ground. And were one of the most densely populated states as far as humans. But other hard evidence of the big cats presence is elusive. Honestly, leaving this out of your article would seem to perpetuate the notion that there is a conspiracy to keep us all in ignorance. It was a flooded area. Here are some things to keep in mind if you come across or see a big cat like a mountain lion: Be mindful of . The Spatz and Sue Ottmann referred to are Christopher Spatz and Sue Morse, two of the better-known and arguably most experienced cougar skeptics in the Northeast. Also known as cougars, panthers or pumas, mountain lions range in color from tan to grey, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service. I must have looked doubtfulwe were within spitting distance of a heavily trafficked road and only 12 miles from downtown Hartfordbut both Ottmann and Betty told me that cougars actually prefer more populated areas, since thats where deer tend to congregate. I saw a Mountain Lion in 2007 in Northfield, MA at the junctions of Rtes 10 and 63. Its quite an uphill challenge for us to manage that situation right now. They are there and thriving!!!! In 2011, genetic testing confirmed that a mountain lion originated in South Dakota and traveled more than 1,500 miles before being struck by a car on the Merritt Parkway, according to Reuters. An attack is verified only when a physician, law enforcement officer or CDFW personnel determine the injuries were caused by a . Mountain lions usually retract their claws when walking. The reasons for this conspiracy vary depending upon whom you talk to, but they coalesce around the idea that wildlife agencies would be inconvenienced by the cougars presence, as theyd be forced to respond in ways that would tax their resources. In 1994, scat collected after a sighting in Craftsbury, Vermont, was found to contain cougar hair (the animals are prone to ingesting their hair while grooming), and the commissioner of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department circulated a memo with the following line: It is possible that cougars of unknown origin may be breeding to a limited extent in Vermont. The discussion of whether federal lands should be a place to subsidize cattle ranching is another question. I have heard several accounts from sober, sane, intelligent people who have seen them (especially a latre, good friend who was a very competent spokesman and hunter.). Had trouble sleeping last night cause that was to close and I think she may have stalked me from where I was in the woods. She served as the Senior Producer for 'The Colin McEnroe Show' for several years before stepping down in 2021 and returning to her previous career as a registered nurse. I have not had the pleasure of seeing one, but have heard credible reports of them in Western Mass. Our Mission. His Tail was very long almost touching the ground and as thick as velvet rope. Ottmann and I walked farther. Even though the experts say there arent any mountain lions in CT, there are. Mountain Lions in New York. Two were confirmed in Logan County (2014 and 2015), and one . Mountain Lion Weight: 80-160 pounds Length: About 7-8 feet long Tail: 2-3 feet long (up to half of the total length) Identification The mountain lion is a large, slender cat, with a long rope-like tail. 02:02. There have been several sightings of mountain lions in New Hampshire recently. Just like we dont need any slimy humans on earth period. and with my friend Chris Christinat who lives in hartsville we saw one stalking a rabbit on her lawn about autumn of 2009. Wed be seeing more carcasses of prey we would be seeing at least some carcasses of mountain lion prey. When he suggested we retrace our route, past lion, to see a sow bear with cubs, we headed in the opposite direction. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. Those are the two closest populations that we have here. I only saw the back side, but he was huge. Manchester, CT 06045 Phone: 800-237-3606 Email: service@journalinquirer.com. However, because they are capable of traveling great distances, they have turned up in all parts of North Dakota. A harvest is kind of twofold. Males (100 to 170 lbs.) Wildlife is unpredictable (and several people go missing in wild areas, parks especially, every year -Probably not because of alien abduction). When you look at a state like Connecticut, with all the people we have here, all the trail cameras we have in the woods, all the cars we have driving you can imagine if we had an established population here in Connecticut, we would know about it pretty quickly. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. Although there are numerous reported sightings of mountain lions in Connecticut every year, the animals have actually been extinct in this state for more than a century. Over time, Wright became convinced Eastern cougars lived in small pockets in the deep woods. Still, Spatz acknowledged that the word hope is very different from the word believe. Then saw him a few more times from further away across the road and along the edge sometimes of the woods. Probably because of all the hunters that would be out trying to get their trophy and endangering others. on the regular. We told him what we saw, and he confirmed other sightings on the property. There was one photographed on a porch in Greenwich, CT, looking in the patio window that made national news a decade ago. And even the home entries are kind of changing. Finally, in the third camp, there are the true believersthe cougar truthers, if you willthe men and women for whom the only logical conclusion (often reached after a significant investment of time, thought, and sometimes money) is that right here, right now, cougars live among us, feeding and breeding and rearing their young, and that suggesting otherwise is sheer ignorance, willful denial, or part of a mosaic of conspiracy. Mr. Betty and Mr.Ottomans passion and efforts are impressive. Its extremely rare for a person to see a wild animal and to underestimate its size. Rego says that the way bobcats stride when they run, often times a rear leg is kicked up in the back and that could be mistaken for a long tail.. Now that USFW has declared them extinct, why not formally reintroduce them. Mountain lions are carnivores (meat eaters) and prey mostly on deer. My daughter said to me thats the biggest cat Ive ever seen. Mountain Lions: cougars, pumas, panthers and catamounts. And he said, This is where the mountain lion crossed. We walked in and there were fresh bobcat tracks in there. Uscinski, a Connecticut native, adds that the theory that the government is covering up the existence of mountain lions is likely motivated by a distrust of authority. In 2011, the U.S. We hadnt seen a cougar, nor any evidence to suggest a cougar had traveled these woods recently. I live in New Milford and I saw one crossing the road in front of me when I stopped to get my mail from my mailbox. Respect predators, protect them but dont worship or try to hug them! The one thing that jumped out at her the tail. It continues in Connecticut, where that South Dakota cat was killed in 2011, and in Massachusetts, despite two credible reports in the past quarter century (in one case, DNA-confirmed scat; in the other, verified tracks). #3. In the second camp, there are those issuing the denials, pointing to the lack of photographic evidence, or the absence of tracks, or the simple truth that many people dont seem to know the difference between a cougar and a bobcat and a lynx and even, in some cases, a golden retriever. Jason. She served as the Senior Producer for 'The Colin McEnroe Show' for several years before stepping down in 2021 and returning to her previous career as a registered nurse. Even in parts of the country where there are documented breeding populations of mountain lions, there are still many false reports. The mountain lion is believed to have had an encounter with a family on their lawn. The tail, I said. According to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, mountain lions became extinct in Connecticut in the 1800s, and bobcats are the only large wild cats found in the state. Im not an expert on human psychology, but if youre looking for something, you have a greater chance of actually seeing it. I saw one yesterday in Windsor Cty Vermont. Growing up in northern Vermont, Id heard stories of sightings, though always a few steps removed from the tellersomebodys cousin had seen a cougar cross the road on their way home from deer camp up in Canaan (or was it Coventry? (My wife didnt get a look at the tail.) So its this gathering storm. They also generally have spots on their fur. Ottmann nodded. For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. Distinguished by a boxy head, big paws and a VERY long tail. Indeed! Connecticut Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. They have been absent from this state since the late 1800s; however, there have been a few isolated sightings. CNN . For instance, a favorite food for deer is the seedlings of forest tree species. Beautiful animal. Mountain lions, also known as cougars or pumas, are a big cat species native to the Americas. Its definitely a problem thats only going to get worse. Big kitty. We clearly have migratory male cougars coming through. I have no choice but to take this seriously, he told me. hen I accepted the assignment to write about my quest to uncover the truth regarding the existence of cougars in New England, I had little idea what I was agreeing to. I was tracking some deer tracks and I came to a promising deer run with a lot of deer scat on the ground when I noticed a cat track amongst the sign. Even so, for decades, skeptics dismissed mountain lion sightings in Connecticut out of hand, pointing out that if the cats were here in anywhere close to the number of reported sightings, there would be DNA and physical evidence of their presence, not to mention photos and videos. Some might mistake the bobcat, which still lives in New England, for a cougareven though its tail is about 6 inches long andthe bigger cats is 3 feet or more. I couldnt tell you how happy I would be if mountain lions were actually recolonizing the state of Connecticut, Hawley says, but its just not happening., Hawley spoke about bobcats, mountain lions and bears on The Colin McEnroe Show: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators.. Or at least theyre not supposed to be. It seems humans just cant resist destroying these animals and either dont realize or dont care what damage we have done to our natural environment over the centuries. The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. Updated . Dismissing most of the sightings as probable bobcats, Morse asserted that the scientific evidence has not been proven. While recent mountain lion sightings in Connecticut have not been confirmed, if someone suspects they encountered a mountain lion, they should not run away, as it might spur a chase. They set the stage for the exotics to move in, and this has a huge impact on our ecology, he said. In 1978, mountain lions were listed as a state threatened species. That's not to say that pits are not formidable dogs, they are. Someone told New Canaan police that a mountain lion was spotted on Gerdes Road, just north of the Darien-New Canaan border, at about 6 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 14.. These highlights have been edited and condensed for length and clarity. Lets learn to live alongside this very large animal is one of the schools of thought. All of which is to say that if Alexander Crowell wasnt afraid on that long-ago Thanksgiving Day, he probably should have been. Up to several inches of snow expected for northern CT, NWS says, Passenger in car that nearly hit FBI agents in CT gets 3 years, Police: CT man hiding in back seat tried to rob female driver, Yale police investigating false report of active shooter, NY man charged with CT car theft extradited, state trooper says, CT advocates resume push for aid-in-dying bill, Wilton Police Chief John Lynch announces retirement, RTM narrowly votes to accept voting infrastructure grant, Milford changes rules on accessory dwellings, Termination upheld for CT fire lieutenant in drug scandal, several have reportedly been spotted around the Woodbridge area this month, one that was killed on the Merritt Parkway in 2011, U.S. Department of Agricultures Forest Service, mountain lions became extinct in Connecticut in the 1800s, UConn athletics operated at $53 million deficit following Kevin Ollie payment. Im confident that we get occasional outlier animals.. If theres a middle ground in the cougar debate, it belongs to John Harrigan, a veteran outdoorsman, newspaper reporter, and widely read syndicated columnist. According to the Smithsonians National Zoo, bobcats are part of the lynx genus, which means they are related to other cats like the Canadian lynx, Iberian lynx and Eurasian lynx. - YouTube Multiple people in North Stonington claim they've spotted a mountain lion roaming around. McEnroe: Scientifically, this is a case where absence of evidence is kind of evidence of absence, right? I kept trying to make it be something else because I was shocked that I was, indeed, watching a mountain lion pass in front of me. Obviously, this is the reason why the experts are loathe to admit that the species is here. It used to be that a bear would go into a house when someone wasnt home. So, traffic had been slowed from both ends for a good 3-5 minutes. For a solid four seconds, Marchibroda watched as a large, sleek cat standing about three feet tall with a long, curled tail crossed Skyline Drive near Gavel Springs Gap less than 100 feet in front of them. From a private handler planning to shoot her unless she moved in my direction,. Reports in the state, Connecticut Dept youre looking for something, you have a greater chance actually! This very large animal is one of the country where there are to 10 days me she... Private handler somewhere, but he was huge found plenty of space to roam without regular detection question. In small pockets in the yard which was surrounded by woods far as humans County leads list! Car and up to 10 days Wildlife Service unofficially declared the Eastern cougar extinct, Wright became convinced cougars... Followed by Cimarron County with six so he can use it just like we dont need any slimy on! In parts of North Dakota case where absence of evidence is kind of evidence breeding... 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