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Text by Chiew Lin May  The impact of the coronavirus disease, COVID-19, is being felt all over the world. We are all going through a challenging time. We have been closed to the public to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. But, we must continue to provide care and protect our 43 rescued sun bears housed at the BSBCC from this spread which could affect their health and welfare.  Where did the COVID-19 come from? The illegal wildlife trade is a major threat in the world. Sun bears are listed as Vulnerable to Extinction by the IUCN. Illegal poaching activities are clearly a chronic threat to the wildlife.  Sun bears are often killed and their infants are taken to markets to be sold for traditional medicine use, food and the exotic pet trade.   Rescued sun bear was found kept as a pet in a small cage  The cub was found at the Chinese restaurant specializing in bear paw soup The rising demand for traditional Asian medicine also has put pressure on the sun bear survival.  All threats must be eliminated to protect the endangered sun bear. But when we destroy their forest home, and poach them for wildlife market uses, viruses such as COVID-19 can be turned out.  Bush meat ranging from wild boars, sambar deers, mousedeers, pangolins and sun bears were on sale at a tamu in Nabawan  Bush meat ranging from wild boars, sambar deers, mousedeers, pangolins and sun bears were on sale at a tamu in Nabawan  Sun Bears have been hunted mainly for the use of their body parts  We are serious need STOPPING illegal trafficking and killing of wildlife. Wildlife play important ecological roles in the forest ecosystem.   Sun bear play such an important role i maintaining the ecosystem and equilibrium of the forest. You can help prevent the spread of diseases and also stop pushing many endangered species to the brink of extinction!  The road to fighting this COVID-19 may not be easy, but together, we hope you will make a difference to create a brighter future for sun bears and other wildlife, keep them safe in their natural habitat and protect the earth we all share. Do your part. Please stay safe! 
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Video by Chiew Lin May "Time is running out! The next ten years will be crucial. If we fail, a lot of species will become extinct." - Dr. Wong Siew Te (Founder & CEO BSBCC) The sun bears is the world's smallest bear species. They can be found in the tropical rainforest of Southeast Asia. Major threats from poaching, illegal pet trade and deforestation are pushing sun bears to extinction. If no action is taken, the remaining population will be wiped out soon. Please keep the fight to save the species against the threat of extinction! Text by Chiew Lin May Photos by BSBCC & Chiew Lin May I was still an infant when I arrived at the local mini zoo in 2008. I was found in Tawau district of Sabah and was later sent to Kudat district, in the northern part of Sabah. My friend and I were displayed in a mini zoo as panda bears, but instead we are Bornean Sun Bears. The reason behind this was to attract visitors or inexperienced animal managers, who apparently did not have the knowledge or skills to care for the animals that they received, which could be why we were mistaken as species we are not. We were fed with chicken daily which led us to have bigger body sizes compared to other sun bears our age. My suffering ended when I was rescued by Sabah Wildlife Department on the 6th of July 2010, and was brought to the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) on the 10th of July, 2010. During the arrival, no external wounds were found on me, except my friend, Kudat showed his fur coat had multiple alopecic patches. We were both placed into Quarantine. On the 8th of August 2010, after I completed my 30 day quarantine period, I was growing well and I was then a ten year old, adult female sun bear. I have beautiful mauve-coloured eyes. I started to enjoy the delights on offer in this new environment. Rescued sun bears at BSBCC are given a second chance to live freely in the BSBCC forest - free to explore, forage, climb and play as wild sun bears. On the 20th of December 2013, I was undergoing fence training, which is one of the BSBCC’s rehabilitation processes that is before the bears can go out to the forest enclosure. This stage is very important because the BSBCC forest enclosures are surrounded by electric fences that prevent the bears from escaping. However, up until now this fence training had not worked with me due to the fact that I still bared the scars from years of trauma after being locked up in a cage for entertainment purposes. The bear care staff never gave up on me by trying to introduce me with new bear friends (Natalie, Ah Lun, Julaini and Rungus), to help improve my social and survival skills, and gain trust towards these rehabilitation processes. It would take time for me to learn to trust the outside forest world. On May 20th 2014, I had a traumatic injury on the rostral area due to an aggressive bite from a male, adult bear in the neighbouring cage. Thank you to Veterinarian, Dr. Laura who helped me by reconstructing suture of the tissue on my rostral area. The bear staff kept a close watch on me and took care of my diet. Slowly, my snout improved. On the 1st of July 2015, I was moved to another cage near Amaco (the oldest bear). I loved having these new dens to explore. I loved splashing in the water and taking lots of baths in the dens. BSBCC provide the best care for all the rescued sun bears in our Centre, different enrichment activities are given by bear care staff in order to stimulate our natural behaviour and keep us occupied. I am a big foodie and enjoy the bear’s main diet of fruit, coconut and HONEY! I am very inquisitive and am always quick to come whenever there are YUMMY treats. There are different types of climbing structures and I take great joy in climbing them. I love the opportunity to play with a number of toys. I will figure out a toy by tapping on them with my superb sharp-curved, long claws and by checking them carefully. We love volunteers designing comfy bed for us!! It brightens our day! My best friend is Amaco who is a male bear. The integration has really enriched my life. Most important is that I am the first play pal for him. I am very sweet towards him so we love playing together. We are playing and wrestling non-stop. We share a very close bond and can be seen hanging out together. However, I am sorry that I do not get along well with Chin, as sometimes she will get feisty if I wrestle with her which will end up in small brawls during play fights. This year something has changed my life! With the help from our lovely volunteer, Khairunnisa Faisal and keeper, Adrian. Here I started to put my past behind me and recover from my traumatic years in captivity. A huge smile crossed my face as I received the life that I deserve!! I was finally brave enough to take my first step out to the forest after five years of training. I love to explore the grassy forest enclosure, forage for my favourite termites and rest in the hammock. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to try learning as a wild bear! BSBCC are delighted I have been able to let go of the previous trauma in my life. I have overcome my fear and feel completely at home! Sun bears are classified as a Totally Protected Species under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment, 1997. Please STOP keeping sun bears as pets! We DO NOT belong inside cages. Years of being kept as illegal pets have left many of us suffering from long term disabilities and physiological trauma. It requires considerable time and expense to restore the wild behaviour to us that have been victims of the illegal wildlife pet trade. If you care about us, you would not want to be left out of the fight for our survival. Please be our voice! Video by Chiew Lin May Meet the magnificent animals on earth...Sun bears! Illegal hunting and pet trade has directly affected the sun bear population numbers. The time to act is now! Please help to save the sun bears from extinction. Visit www.bsbcc.org.my for all the latest news and find out more about how we are working to protect sun bears. Video By Chiew Lin May "Only we understand, can we care. Only if we care, we will help. Only if we help, we shall be saved." - Jane Goodall Poaching and illegal pet trade have brought sun bears and other wildlife to the brink of extinction. Let's work together to protect them from extinction! Video by Chiew Lin May "When the buying stops, the killing will stop too!" Orphaned sun bear cubs have been taken from the wild for the illegal pet trade. They had been kept confined in a cage alone for a long period of time and loss their wild instinct. Please STOP kept or buys sun bear! Please report suspicious activity, be sure to REPORT illegal trade in bear part to: Wildlife Crime Hotline | Hotline Hidupan Liar | 野生物罪案热线 : +60 19 356 4194 By Chiew Lin May Are sun bears threatened? Their existence is being fast disappearing who threatened by illegal poaching, pet trade and loss of habitat! Please do something about it! Text by Seng Yen Wah Photos by Chiew Lin May & Seng Yen Wah  Romolina has just finished her 30 day submission to quarantine! She is settling in well at BSBCC. A full body check-up has been conducted by Dr.Nabila Sarkawi who is a veterinarian from Sabah Wildlife Department. Based on the growth condition of her teeth, we found out she is an estimated age of six months instead of four months old. This is because some of her current teeth which have grown through recently, are now permanent and her adult teeth. Romolina was found alone in the forest before being kept as a pet at Romol Village, Sapulut, in the interior division of Sabah, where she lived her life in a small cage. She was rescued by Bob Hartley and Virgil Joon Gunting, who had found out that a villager was keeping Romolina as a pet. They intended to rescue her so they negotiated with the villager who agreed to hand the young cub over to them. The villager said that he/she had kept Romolina for a duration of roughly three months and fed her sausages, porridge and fruits. The improper diet caused Romolina to have a smaller body size. Now that she is being fed a proper, nutritious diet in the care of BSBCC and she now weighs 8.8kg.     Romolina seems to be attached to humans. When the caretakers are not around, she will suckle and vocalize to seek comfort and safety. Romolina had lost her mother bear, therefore we now have keepers as her surrogate mother. What can the surrogate mother do? Keepers will spend time and play fight with her. Play fighting could teach her how to defend herself. Defence skills is one of the most important survival skills for the bear’s natural rainforest habitats, which can protect themselves from predators. Besides the companionship from the keepers, Romalina has also been introduced to many types of enrichments to use throughout her days. Enrichment is a common name for the bears TOYs which can stimulate the action of natural behaviours that we would observe in non-captive Sunbears. Romolina is having different enrichments from day to day! But, her favourite toy is the warm, soft and comfy towel! Romolina is a detailed explorer. She will spend a lot of time exploring the enrichments made for her. Thanks to the care taker, Jeniur who made her a circle platform. She loves to sleep up there. Before sleeping Romalina will adjust and fidget until she finds the perfect spot to fall asleep and snooze like a baby!            Romolina is a curious bear who explores her environment through continuous sniffing. She loves milk and also loves to keep the milk on her body, by soaking her body in the milk tray. But she does not enjoy her body being too wet and fur remaining damp. Romolina is a good climber. She always climbs up and down to search and explore her environment. She is always very observant to her current surroundings and will keep checking and watching events that happen around her.   Romolina has lacked a mother’s love since young age, which makes her feel insecure. The way to help her is integrating her with other bears; making a bear friend can allow them to learn from each other and spend time together. The best enrichment of a bear is another bear! We are looking forward to the integration between her and her bear friend Logan, and hope they will get along well. The cute and lovely friendship is already starting to form between these two little bears. Please stay tuned for the updates to the start of this wonderful friendship! With the help of her friend Logan, the care of keepers and the love from you all, we hope Romolina will grow to into a real bear!   Text and Photos by Chiew Lin May  Little Romolina is a six months old female sun bear cub who was kept in a small cage as a house pet at Kampung Romol, Sapulut, Sabah.  The owner claimed that they found the cub alone in the forest and he had kept her in his house. We believed that Romolina’s mom was killed in order to take the cub from the forest. Bob Hartley and Virgil Joon Gunting got knowledge about this cub and quickly helped save her from the villager by negotiating with him to hand over the cub. She was immediately handed over to the Sabah Wildlife Department then sent to BSBCC and placed into quarantine on the same day on July 7th, 2018. During the arrival, she was tiny and weighed 5.95 kg. She was suffering from severe malnutrition. The owner fed Romolina rice, cereals, sausages, fruits and no milk was given to her. She was also being confined in a small cage which restricted her growth. The name “Romolina” was given by the person who rescued her. She was named after the Romol village where she was rescued from. Romolina is the youngest female sun bear cub at BSBCC. She is kept under close observation around the clock by bear care staff in quarantine.  She was subsequently found to be malnourished and showed signs of stunted growth. Consequently, her claws and teeth appeared too big for her tiny body as a result from an unbalanced diet. Little by little she has grown to know that she is in a safe place. She adapted really well to her new environment.  During these two weeks she has gained more weight. She has a good appetite but is choosy in accepting a diet of fruits and vegetables. She loves watermelon and Honey!  Little Romolina enjoys playing with enrichment toys.  The enrichment plays a vital role in encouraging Little Romolina – to be a sun bear again! She gets really curious and stands on both her hind legs then gets excited about it! Romolina will use her long sharp claws to tear and destroy the enrichment. She always shows curiosity in new toys and treats where she will learn to dig, climb and destroy the enrichment!        She learns climbing too. She will climb up to the basket or sleeping platform or when there are treats around. As a sun bear cub she will spends most of the day sleeping on the ground or hammock platform.       She is just enjoying her new found second chance of freedom.  Poor Romolina had been kept confined in a cage alone for a long period. It can be seen that she has a habit of sucking her front left paw or rubbing her back near care takers, and she vocalizes to seek comfort and safety. She shows more attachment to humans and appears tame. She needs special care and attention. She should still be with her mother learning how to survive in the forest.  Slowly, Romolina will learn to trust the new environment and put her past behind her. It was truly a blessing when watching Romolina grow more confident and healthy. Please speak up against the illegal pet trade and protect them from extinction! Text by Yvonne Chong Yee Wen Photos by Yvonne Chong Yee Wen, Chiew Lin May & Seng Yen Wah The Bornean Sun Bear is scientifically known as Helarctos Malayanus. It is the smallest species of bear found in the tropical forest habitats of Southeast Asia. Characteristics of sun bears include its long tongue (which is used to extract honey and insects) and a chest marking, unique to every sun bear. Sun bears are opportunistic omnivores that feed mainly on termites, insects, larvae and a large variety of fruit species. Sun bears have several different roles within the forest, which provide many benefits to tropical ecosystems. Sun bears are now facing the threats of commercial hunting and poaching, habitat loss, and being illegally kept as a pet. They belong in the wild. Please spread the word and protect the sun bear! < 婆羅洲之子 —— 馬來熊 > 婆羅洲馬來熊（Bornean Sun Bear），又名太陽熊，也叫狗熊，學名為Helarctos Malayanus，屬哺乳熊科，它是全世界8種熊科動物中體型最小的熊類。馬來熊是依賴森林生存的物種，它們棲息和活動於東南亞地區的熱帶雨林，主要分佈於馬來西亞、越南、印尼、柬埔寨、泰國、緬甸、遼國、中國南部與印度東部等。 馬來熊的特征 馬來熊的身長約120至150公分，雄性的熊體重可達30至60公斤左右，而雌性的體重是20至40公斤。它們尾巴的長度約5公分，耳朵小而圓，毛髮短，呈深棕色抑或黑色，而鼻子色澤通常為灰至橙色。此外，馬來熊還擁有約30公分之長的舌頭，而如此長的舌頭的主要功能是讓它們舔食蜂巢裡的蜂蜜，以及其他的小昆蟲，如：白蟻、球狀馬陸和其他幼蟲等。 它們的四肢短，向內彎，行走時呈內八型；掌心粉紅色，無毛且柔軟，就像人類的掌心一樣，這能夠讓它們在森林地面安靜地行走。被稱之為爬樹高手的馬來熊，爪子呈鐮刀狀，長而銳利，這能夠使它們穩固地抓牢樹木；此外，尖銳的爪子也是它們用作挖掘和撕開朽木來尋找食物，如：白蟻、昆蟲的覓食主要工具。 除此之外，每一隻馬來熊最為顯著的特征就是它們胸前的胸斑（Chest Mark），每一隻熊的胸斑皆有不同的色澤，大部分為乳白色或橙色，並含斑點。因此，馬來熊最為獨特的特點是每一隻熊都擁有它們獨一無二的胸斑，這猶如人類的指紋，獨一無二，也是個人的記號，儘管是雙胞胎的馬來熊也絕對不會出現相同胸斑的情況。 馬來熊的自衛方法 馬來熊的聽覺與嗅覺特別靈敏，當它們感受到有威脅時，會用後腿站立，這是一種向對方發出警告和自衛的舉動；馬來熊又叫做狗熊，這是因為它吠聲如狗，當它們感受到威脅或不高興時，會發出像狗吠般的咆哮怒吼聲。 對於每一隻野生動物而言，自我防衛與保護是一件非常重要的事情，與其他的熊類如大熊貓相比，馬來熊的動作較為靈敏和快速。 馬來熊的爪子和尖銳的犬齒是它們最好的自我保護工具。它們的頸部有一圈非常厚而鬆弛的皮膚，這能夠使它們在打架時、被其他動物攻擊時或被獵人徒手抓住時，能夠及時扯起鬆弛的皮膚，鬆開和及時逃走，抑或反咬對方；而鋒利的爪子能幫助它迅速地爬上樹上閃避攻擊。 馬來熊繁殖習性與成長過程 馬來熊並沒有固定的交配季節，雌熊平均懷孕期為96天左右，大部分一胎只產一隻幼崽，生產雙胞胎或多隻的情況是極少的。在野外生活的雌熊通常會尋找大樹洞或已空心的大木頭為它繁殖的窩；剛出世的幼崽體型是非常小的，無毛、無牙，甚至是無視覺與嗅覺的，但胸前的胸斑卻清晰可見。 幼熊需要花上2、3年的時間從母熊身上學習生活技能，如：覓食、爬樹、如何自衛等。因此，在幼熊還未學成前必須依賴母熊的照顧才能生存，它們需要母熊餵食和保護。 而邁入成熟期的熊，它們會開始離開母熊獨立生活，並建立起自己的家園。雄性的馬來熊在森林的活動範圍約15平方公里，而雌性的馬來熊活動範圍是5平方公里。當馬來熊進入性成熟期時，就會在交配期間尋找交配對象，其餘時間都是獨立生活，爬樹、覓食和築巢。 其實馬來熊壽命頗長，但由於在野外生活的它們必須面對與其他熊隻或其他動物的競爭、自然和人為的災害（各種天災、獵人的捕殺、森林被砍伐與發展）、食源短缺等的影響，它們存活的幾率和壽命便會大大減低。 馬來熊的食性  馬來熊屬雜食性動物 一般人會認為熊類是肉食動物，但其實馬來熊是雜食性的。它們主要的食物包含了：水果、昆蟲、蜂蜜、無脊椎動物等。 在野外，水果成了馬來熊的主食之一，如：野生榴蓮、香蕉、椰子、紅毛丹、蓮心果（Langsat）、香波羅（Tarap）等。但其實以上大部分的水果皆屬季節性的，因此常年結果的無花果便扮演了重要的角色，也成了馬來熊主要食物之一。  椰子是馬來熊喜愛的水果之一 在馬來文裡，馬來熊名為Beruang Madu，Beruang是熊的意思，而Madu意為蜜糖。它之所以被稱之為「蜜糖熊」是因為它非常喜歡吃蜂蜜。因此，它們會利用它們敏銳的嗅覺尋找蜂巢所在地，再用尖銳有力的爪和非常長的舌頭將蜂蜜挖舔出來享用。 馬來熊的主食也包括無脊椎動物。無脊椎動物指的是白蟻、蜈蚣、馬陸蟲（球狀馬陸、扁背馬陸）、幼蟲等。在非水果季節的時候，馬來熊就會把大部分的時間用於尋找這些無脊椎動物來充飢。  球狀馬陸  白蟻 馬來熊的角色 馬來熊體型雖小，但卻在森林裡扮演了非常重要的角色： （壹）種子播遷者 在野外，馬來熊會食取各式各樣的果實，如：野生榴蓮、紅毛丹、無花果等，在食取的過程中，它們會把果實的種子也一併吞下，而那些未經消化的種子會通過它們排洩糞便的時候排除體外，這樣的過程稱之為「種子播遷」，這樣能夠使種子遠離母樹，並能夠減少和降低種子與母樹之間的生長競爭，大大提高種子生存的幾率。 因此，馬來熊扮演了提升各種樹木生長率的重要角色。 （貳）森林工程師 擁有堅固鋒利爪子的馬來熊是非常出色的爬樹高手。馬來熊攀爬上樹的原因除了為了築巢、休息和曬日光浴以外，便是要尋找蜂巢，以獲得它們最愛的食物——蜂蜜；它們會利用它們強壯尖銳的爪子和犬齒來拔開樹幹和挖掘蜂巢。  馬來熊會利用它們強壯尖銳的爪子和犬齒來拔開樹幹和挖掘蜂巢以取得甜美可口的蜂蜜 當熊把樹上的蜂巢都挖空了之後，便會形成一個空穴，而這些空穴便成了給其他動物，如：犀鳥、飛鼠等築巢与栖息的地方。 （叁）森林醫生 白蟻是一種會覓食於朽木或健康的樹木的昆蟲，而有些白蟻會在樹上築巢，因此會逐漸腐蝕和破壞它們所寄住的那棵樹，進而導致樹木死亡。 白蟻也是馬來熊喜愛的食物之一，當它們尋找到白蟻窩時，它們會使用長長的舌頭和爪子破壞白蟻窩以取食。馬來熊通過食取白蟻的這個習性有效地控制白蟻族群的數量，為森林的健康做出了一份保障與貢獻。 （肆）森林農夫 除了水果和蜂蜜以外，馬來熊還喜好吃無脊椎動物，例如：蚯蚓、幼蟲、扁背馬陸、球狀馬陸等。馬來熊會翻動和挖掘泥土以尋找這些食物，而這樣的過程能夠將貧瘠的土壤和營養豐富的養分混合在一起，促進了森林裡的養分循環。 馬來熊的厄運 （壹）家園慘遭破壞  當馬來熊的家園遭到嚴重破壞時，它們該如何生存？ 您曾設想過倘若一天森林消失了，我們將會面對什麼問題？對動物們又會造成什麼樣的影響？森林是所有野外動物，包括馬來熊的家園，因此當森林被肆意砍伐和破壞時，許多動物就會失去家園。 然而，如今大部分的森林已被過度伐木和發展農業活動，如：油棕園、橡膠園等給取代了；如此過度的發展其實已經嚴重影響和破壞了馬來熊的棲息地。如果無法阻止森林過度發展和砍伐的浩劫，馬來熊將會面臨絕種的危機。 （貳）盜獵活動盛行 您可知道在婆羅洲獵殺或盜獵馬來熊已經被列為非法的活動？ 在1997年沙巴野生動物保護憲法之下，馬來熊已屬「完全受保護」品種（Totally Protected Species），凡觸法者，即盜獵、獵殺、販賣、飼養以及擁有有關馬來熊產製品的人將會面臨10萬馬幣罰款或被判10年徒刑，或兩者兼施。 但不幸的是，儘管馬來熊已得到憲法的保護，但獵殺馬來熊的活動卻依舊盛行至今。他們捕殺馬來熊絕大部分是為了取得它那能被製成傳統藥物，俗稱能醫百病的熊膽與膽汁；而為了獲取被稱之為尚品佳餚的熊掌也是他們捕殺馬來熊的主要原因之一。  大部分獵人會為了取得熊掌而對它們狠下毒手 不僅如此，儘管社會文明已在逐步進步與發展，但對於婆羅洲部分的原住民而言，馬來熊的肉仍是他們傳統的食物之一，其爪子、犬齒以及皮毛等更被當成裝飾品。因此，至今馬來熊仍然難逃非法獵殺的厄運！  現今仍然有部分的原住民會非法獵取馬來熊的犬齒以當做他們傳統的裝飾品 （叁）被當寵物飼養   馬來熊長得和狗非常相似 由於馬來幼熊長得十分可愛，和幼犬長得非常相似，因此很多人會把它們當做寵物來飼養。但您可有想過，馬來熊真的適合被當做寵物飼養嗎？ 儘管馬來熊是熊科裡體型最小的熊類，但它的力氣、尖銳的牙齒和爪子可是不容忽視的！當幼熊成年後，它將會成為具有攻擊性的馬來熊。許多飼養馬來熊的飼主常常會認為年長的馬來熊具有危險性，會給他們帶來威脅，因此會把它們常年關在鐵籠子裡，甚至會使用非常粗重的鐵鏈套在它們的頸項，以防止它們攻擊自己。 但馬來熊真的適合被飼養在籠子裡嗎？  許多馬來熊被當成寵物飼養，導致它們過著不適當的生活 被當做寵物來飼養的馬來熊，一般都被困在狹窄的鐵籠子裡生活，總日活在恐懼不安與不健康的環境當中，並且會被餵食不適當的食物，從而造成它們營養不良的情況，嚴重影響發育與健康狀況。 一般的獵人在野外捕捉幼熊作為寵物時，他們就必須先把母熊給射殺。在森林裡，幼熊其實需要花上2、3年的時間從母熊身上學習生活技能，可是獵人把它們從母熊身邊帶離當做寵物飼養時，幼熊就失去向母熊學習的機會，導致不能獨立生活。而且絕大多數的人並不了解馬來熊的習性，因此在這樣的因素下，在不恰當的飼養方式中生活的馬來熊，都過著糟糕的生活，也就是說，它們沒有能力在野外森林裡生存，無法做隻真正的馬來熊了！ 請記住，森林才是馬來熊的家，而不是那個冷冰無情的銅鐵籠子！  總日被關在狹小的籠子裡度日的馬來熊，如何還有快樂可言？  請記住，森林才是馬來熊的家！ |
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