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Warning over crow attacks

By Luke David And Katharine Barney, Evening Standard Last updated at 00:00am on 10.06.05

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Justin Keay was left with a blood-spattered shirt.

Joggers are today being warned about violent crows in London parks after an attack left a man bloodied and needing hospital treatment.

Justin Keay was swooped on by two crows in what experts have called a severe case of "mobbing" - where two or more birds gang up on an assumed predator to keep them away from their young.

Now other runners are being told to stay well away from fledgling crows to avoid further attacks.

Mr Keay today told how he was running his usual route through Battersea Park when the birds swooped on him. The crows clawed his head with their talons and pecked at him furiously.

With blood gushing from his head, he had to fight for several minutes before they would stop attack - reminiscent of the Alfred Hitchcock film The Birds.

Mr Keay, 44, who was attacked at lunchtime on Wednesday, said: "These two massive crows just swooped down on me. I hit them but they wouldn't get off my head.

"They kept on at me and I kept hitting them until I noticed blood was pouring down my neck. My T-shirt was drenched with blood."

Mr Keay was so shaken by his ordeal he went to the park police, who gave him antiseptic wipes and sent him to Chelsea and Westminster hospital for an anti-tetanus injection. "They said it was the first occasion they'd heard of anyone being injured," he said.

The father of two, from Battersea Church Row, said he jogs past the same crows every day.

"They're big and look really menacing," he said. "They have swooped at me before but this was totally different. I had to hit them off me."

Although it is extremely unusual for crows to attack humans, joggers are now being warned to be extra vigilant.

Stephanie Fudge, of the Wetland Centre in Barnes, said Mr Keay was probably close to the bird's fledglings, which may have fallen out of a nearby nest.

"It is quite common at this time of year for fledglings to try to fly," she said. "There was probably one about somewhere nearby which he was not aware of.

"Runners should be extra careful at this time of year. Crows can be aggressive - as these two have shown. If a jogger sees a baby crow they should stay well away."

Joanna Leonard, an interior designer, saw the birds - which she thought were ravens - in the same place an hour after their attack on Mr Keay.

"I thought they were very nasty, sinister things."she said. "Two of them focused in on me as I walked past. I couldn't help thinking of that Hitchcock film."

Mr Keay, a father of two young children, added: "What really worries me is that it could happen again - and it could be a lot worse if the crows attacked children. They could literally have their eyes out."

A spokeswoman for Wandsworth council, which is responsible for the park, said: "We will be talking to bird experts to see if it is a more widespread problem. If it turns out there's any need to alert the public we will do so."


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i cant believe that crows actually attack Humans until one day i was getting ready to go into the House and a Crow swooped over me and i ducked and then it sat on top of the House watching me and cawing.ten a second time 2 weks later another crow or maybe the same one attacked me from behind as i got oit of my truck.i didnt see it at first it pulled my hair and i ducked and it let go then it flew on top of the House watching me.now i look over my shoilder every day i go out of the House or into the House.who would of thought you get attacked by Crows.

- patricia massingill, chattanooga tennessee, 21/09/2011 02:40
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Late May, 2011 I was walking beside a park when about ten crows started cawing angrily at me. I dismissed it until one attacked me from behind. The crow swooped at my back and grabbed at my neck with with it's claws...I was in shock on how big it was when it was on my body...especially the massive wings and the strength..I screamed and started twisting my body while a child looked in horror..very frightening!! I can still feel the crow on the left side of my neck...Then a month later I was walking to the beach and several crows started taunting me with their caws from a tree and one swooped down in front of me..I was so scared I had to walk backwards while I watched the tree so they would not attack me. I wonder if once attacked do they know and continue to taunt...They are really smart animals..

- Nina Kabatoff, Vancouver, B.C. Canada, 07/08/2011 19:21
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I recently visited Flagstaff,AZ,3 hours N of CG. I love animals having studied ornithology there at NAU in the 70s. I took a walk along an urban trail on campus. I was gone just over an hour,taking photos and looking at the flowers, birds,etc. On my way back towards my hotel, a crow started cawing at me. I kept walking, not thinking much of it, when all of the sudden there were a whole bunch of them-family group maybe, but at least 8 adults, I'd say. They all started cawing at me, several swooping at me. I didn't really think they would hit me, though I was sure the ones that did this were only about 3 feet above my head. I tried talking to them, whistling tunes for them (figuring I was being nonthreatening)and I even tried cawing at them. They didn't like any of it. I kept walking and took several photos with my ipod to show my husband later. They kept following me, landing in nearby trees and swooping back and forth for at least .25 mile. Then I came to the underpass I had passed earlier. It was very noisy to walk under due to the traffic above. One crow flew over the underpass and I was afraid it would continue to harass me on the other side, but luckily I didn't see it once I emerged. I thought maybe the crows were mad at my silver/gray hair, or maybe there were fledglings nearby, but after reading all these stories, I feel lucky I wasn't actually touched by any of the crows and that I don't live in Flag b/c I don't want to repeat this experience-it perplexed me greatly.

- Nancy, Casa Grande, AZ, USA, 08/06/2011 23:55
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I'm in a period of being stalked by a crow, who's getting more & more invasive. At 1st he was making these low level sounds, cawing like he had larynxitis, & plucking leaves off the twigs he was pearched on. He then started flying accross, in a near hover above my head to the next tree. or the apartment roof. I made a habit of holding a broom above my head in case he gor too low. Next day, I went out & forgot my broom. For the 1st time he came close enough from behind that I could hear aerodynamic sounds(swoosh) like I was almost clipped. This happened several times before I got to my van. It got to the point where I was being stalked all over the complex by him. One time I walked out my door. A cat named Prince, whom I petted all the time was looking intently across the courtyard, Sure enough, the crow was on the roof of the other wing, pecking on the metal. I'm getting some interference here, so I'm signing off.Interesting how non-ornithophobes are frightened by non injury bird attacks. Everybody says nobody's afraid of birds, but that's NOT what I've observed

- RC Fancher, Tacoma Wa. USA, 15/05/2011 02:40
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Between March and May I get attacked a lot by those nasty birds when I walk to and from my bus stop, 2 days ago, I felt a crow trying to attack me, but when I turn around it suddenly flies back to a tree, also, they've never attacked me when I'm listening to iPod, so I guess my hard rock music does bother them haha. I'm paintind a mask with eyes so I can wear it on the back of my head, and I'll always walk with my iPod on the highest volume I can tolerate with a pretty hard song playing, let's see if those birds will bother me now

- Jose, Miami, FL, 02/04/2011 05:03
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Around 6 pm today, I went for my usual walk on the terrace (roof)for exercise. The moment I came out of the door I saw a huge crow.Not the usual crow with a lighter grey underside and a grey ring round the neck, but the huge jet black ugly crow, which we call mountain crow. It sat atop a nearby coconut palm, fluffing up its feathers and flapping its wings aggressively trying to warn me off. I thought it strange but I took a few turns round the terrace ignoring it. But then it started pecking angrily at the coconut palm. It flew to another tree in front of me and repeated the performance but I turned my back on it. Suddenly it swooped on me from behind and gently nudged me on the head. It sat on a nearby tree watching me. I called my husband who said there must be chicks nearby. Nesting Season.But I did not want it to think that it could scare me so I picked up an umbrella and walked round, twirling the open umbrella over my head. I know crows go for your head. Many birds drink water from a tank on the terrace but they ususally ignore me It hid in some tree and waited till I went in.Watching from behind the door I saw it come, take a sip from the tank and then alight on a tree next to the terrace. Was it thirsty or was it protecting its chicks? I tried to mark my territory. sometimes crows attack the man who comes to pluck the coconuts. Some people are repeatedly attacked by crows wherever they go. I had an ipod earphones on. Perhaps it has a keen hearing and westlife disturb

- susan eapen, Thiruvananthouram, Kerala, India, 27/02/2011 15:08
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I was attacked by a crow today in Milton Keynes. I was walking along and it came at me from behind and landed on my head, it scratched my head and pulled my hair, it then flew off and came at me again luckily I managed to duck this time and it stood in front of me! I just ran all the way to work. It was very disturbing.

- Hannah, Milton Keynes Buckinghamshire, 18/11/2010 21:04
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I was walking on a main city road today, passed a crow sitting atop a steet bin. It was staring at me and I thought how scary looking and large it was but didn't pause. A few steps later it attacked me from behind, clawing at my head! I started screaming and trying to knock it off my head, there were people standing watching but no one helped! The crow hopped off and I said to people "did you see that?" No one replied, they just looked away - it was weird. I just had to look it up on the net to see if it was happening to others. I'm going to report the attack to the Council. I suppose it considered I was threatening its food source (the bin).

- Linda Crawford, Glasgow, Scotland, 31/10/2010 20:20
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I was attacked today by a crow near clapham common when walking back with the baby in the buggy from doing the school run. I didnt see a crow just felt somethings claws in my hair. Got a shock when I looked and saw it was a crow that had scratched my head, but was pleased it was me it went for and not the baby.

- caroline, east dulwich london, 13/10/2010 20:00
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I was sitting in my office with our large bay windows open minding my own business and crow swopped down out of the tree in my direction. Lucky for me our IT director who is a bear of a man was standing behind me and must have stopped the crow in his tracks. But the whole thing has left me rather frightened.

- Jon Smith, London`, 02/07/2010 16:58
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I was taking my dog for his usual evening walk and my wife was with me. We were about half a mile away from the road at the side of a wood when a youngish crow flew down and landed about 10 feet in front of us. We changed direction and tried to walk around it but it took off, flew around our heads and landed again just in front of us. We changed direction again but the same thing happened. I am not scared of birds but I am 59 and have never had this happen before so decided to turn around and head for our car. The bird circled around our heads again and landed in a low branch just above our heads in front of us. When we stopped he stopped and each time we moved he circled close to our heads before landing again just in front of us. By now we were both frightened as was our dog. We went under a bypass bridge and tried to rest in the middle but the crow then came under there and circled us again before stopping in front of us at the otherside of the bridge. We eventually made it back to our car which was lucky because a second crow had just joined him. We both found this experience very unsettling.

- David Kelsall, Little Wymondley, Hertfordshire, 25/06/2010 21:12
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I live in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and this morning ( 2hours ago) as I walking back to my office after having tea, something hit me on the back of my neck...I thought it was someone who did that. But to my surprise, I realize it was a big crow...I was walking under a tree, did not step on anything...but that was not the end of it...the crow was hovering just above my head and it dive down to attack me again and pecked me at the same place...i quickly ran to a building across the road as i saw it coming back for me again...Reminded me of alfred hitchcock's Bird.
Really spooky

- ravee, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 10/06/2010 04:50
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I was just swooped by crows today, in the driveway to my house, as I went out to put items in the curbside recycling box. My guess is that there is a nest in one of the boulevard trees. There are always lots of crows in my suburban area, and they are noisy and annoying. Now they are also frightening. Thanks - Mr. Hitchcock!

- Judy, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 07/06/2010 19:10
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I was jogging through Wandsworth Common this afternoon and got attacked by two rather large crows. They did not actually get me as I ended up diving on the floor and luckily avoiding them. Very concerning as there are lots of young babies / children nearby in the Common Ground play area.

- Matt, Wandsworth, 31/05/2010 16:24
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i was swooped on by a crow this morning in my local park, it attacked me from behind as i was running, it didn't hurt me but was very frightening. This also happened to me last year in the same place around about the same time of the year, but this attack was more persistent, maybe because i stayed in the area trying to fight it off. I think i will avoid the park until the crows have calmed down.

- gill, london, 14/05/2010 15:04
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I too was attacked by a crow this afternoon at the running track regent's park - it must be the same crow as mentioned by jogger G - it was terrifying - it hit me three times from behind swooping down on me - nearly knocked me to the ground - and it waited for me - very very scary - be vigilent if you are jogging especially in the regent's park area

- Jogger, London, 15/04/2010 18:23
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I was attacked by a crow today while jogging on the running track at the outer circle in Regents Park. It swooped on my head twice while I was running and two or three times after I had finished and was leaving. It was quite fearless and landed close to me after the last attacks and did not fly off until I ran at it. My head is still sore.....those claws and beak are sharp and hard. This is the second time this has happened recently and they seem to be getting more aggressive.......I think one solution may be to buy a hat of some kind. I suppose it might be attracted by my hair which is fairly long and moves in the breeze.

- Jogger G, London UK, 14/04/2010 21:29
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I looked up in google about crows attacking as i think everyone thought i was going crazy when I told them I was swooped at and chased by 2 crows yesterday. We've always known magpies here in Qld for attacking, but never crows. I was out for my usual jog, and had even passed quite a few people on the way, and as I was coming back up the same way I had gone down, I felt something swoop past me, I looked and saw it was a crow, so laughed at myself thinking it was just flying past, and than, it came at me again, and agian, so I started running faster and faster, than a second one joined in, and this went on for about 100m....even when magpies swoop, its only until your away, but these crows kept coming, and even after I had crossed the road, so I went further across the road and they stopped. It scared the crap outta me, and now after reading everyone elses stories, I'm a little worried about going that way at all now, as I think they'll remember me and attack again, and next time they might actually hurt me.

- Nicole Maggs, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia, 12/10/2009 23:56
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I cycle to work every day, part of my journey takes me over a bridge, over a freeway. At about the middle of the bridge a crow starts to swoop at me and follow me down to the bottom, cawing at me all the way. One day I thought, " I've had enough of this", So I shouted back at him "ARRRRRRGH". What a mistake, the crow went ballistic. The cawing became far more intense,( letting me know that now he really means business) and this time it followed me down well after the bottom of the bridge, trying to peck and claw at me all the way.
On my way home, (a good Eight hours later) there he was waiting for me, sitting on top of the traffic lights, well before the bridge, and so the motorists and other passers by were able to witness an evening performance of the same spectacle.
And so it continues, day after day.

- Peter Benholm, Melbourne Australia, 07/10/2009 08:50
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Well my crow story go like this. Me when I go outside you can see a lot of crow around my house on the tree and when I walk to my aunts house they follow me. Then you see that they waiting for me. When I go back to my house you see then coming back to my house. And my mother don't belive me. When my mother come outside there are not there and they are quiet. I want to know what will happen next to me. :-(

- Natasha, lakeland, florida, 25/07/2009 07:21
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Today as I was walking to work I got attack by a crow. I have no idea why I walk the same path EVERYDAY and this has never happend to me before, I've never even heard of this happening. It was the most terrifying thing I've ever experienced. I was just walking and all of a sudden a crow started stalking me, swooping down at my head and pecking me when he got close enough. I am so scared of crows now I hope this never happens again

- Hates Crows, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 12/07/2009 01:26
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If any body is interested, i have been woken up every morning at approx 4.oo oclock with crows flying at my windows, attacking the windows with their feet , claws, beaks and wings, the attackes are so ferocoius that they are drawing blood which then runs and splatteres over the window. There are a family
My windows are dirty, then i cleaned them and the attacks still continue.
The noise is terrible,
i am now overtired and grumpy.
Has anybody any idears , other that a 12 bore.

- Sharon Gresham, Brill, Bucks, 10/07/2009 14:30
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Me and my friend were walking down the main road that is right beside a graveyard. Then behind us about 20 yards we seen a girl being swooped down be two circling crows.They tried several times attacking the girl before we chased them off.That was shocking seeing the little girl getting attack by crows like that.

- A Witness, Manitoba Canada, 09/07/2009 05:46
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While walking in North East part of Calgary in an industrial Park, I was attacked by a crow, which swooped down over my head just missing me by inches. The crow did this for 1 1/2 street blocks until I got to the building I was going. Believe it or not, I left the building 1/2 hour later. The same crow in a tree in from of the building just sitting there. People where walking about parking there cars and walking about, the crow did nothing to them. When I left the building the crow again swooped-down on me and did this for the 1 1/2 blocks until I got back to my car. These birds smarter than we think.. I was waiting patiently, until I left the building to attack me, so it had to know it was me by the white coat I was wearing, or something. The world is a weird place..and nature is in control. cheers!

- Len Villemaire, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 23/06/2009 01:40
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Today i went to the park to walk my cute dog. As i was recahing it, on the road was standing a tiny crow, eventhough my dog passed him and smelled him and i passed by him, he didnt make a move, so i tied up my dog and tried to see what was wrong with that crow. It started making a tiny sound it was really cute, then i stroke him and was trying to put him somewhere else than on such a busy passage, two crows started shouting at me, so loud that people would turn their head, i pushed the bird through the railings of the park so it could be safer, the other two birds started flying over my head and shouting louder than i thought was possible, i ended up sitting down on a wood table so i could keep an eye on him, the two big birds went into the tree above my head and started picking leaves out of the trees and dropping bird poos on me. The leave s were falling all around me. When i decided to get closer to the birds and them shouting and flying at me i looked at the little crow and he had his eyes closed and looked so weak, but i knew it was a sign for me to get away from him. So i left, and wished him not to die like this. Then i typed on internet and i am reading you guys story and realise i was very very close to being attacked. PFWAW!!

- Karima, London England, 12/06/2009 15:23
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Running through Tooting Common this morning, I was attacked by a large crow. I was running the usual route that I take alongside the train tracks on the far side of the park. The bird dive bombed me and kept trying to peck at my neck from behind as I ran. I had a hat in my hand and was furiously waving and shouting at it, but it would not relent. The attack aventually stopped about 16 seconds later when it flew into a tree and looked down on me squacking. Very frightening!!

- Ruth Murphy, Tooting Common, London, 07/06/2009 12:14
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I got attacked by a crow this morning outside a park near Old Street in London. It followed me down the road dive bombing my head, which someone on the other side of the road found very amusing.

- Tim Whitwell, London England, 05/06/2009 17:32
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I have just heard that my 7 year old grandson was attacked by several crows in Coleraine after he saw what looked like a sick bird on the ground. He went over to it and was then set upon by these birds who must have had an interest in the bird as carrion... His friend managed to get him away without them both sustaining any real injury. The incident left my grandson quite shaken...

- Paul Goodall, Portadown, N. Ireland, 04/05/2009 14:30
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I've never heard of humans being attacked, but we do have a bird called a magpie that frequently dive-bombs unwary people walking too close to their nests. Children have been blinded occasionally by these birds.

Geoff.

- Geoff O'Callaghan, Toowoomba Qld., 23/03/2009 13:58
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I saw alot today. One was right near my driveway when I came home. They warn us of danger. I will feed them if necessary. They don't scare me.They make me feel safe.

- Pastor Donna, Williamstown,Mass.USA, 08/02/2009 00:00
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I just had a similar encounter as Lee Sutton! happened 45 min ago. a big black menacing crow first flew past my head, and i involuntarily ducked, and he missed me and he landed on a tree branch. i was crossing the overhead bridge near my house (lotsa trees in this area). then when i was halfway thru the bridge, he suddenly swooped down at me pecking at my neck. fortunately, i have long hair and i defended myself vigorously. i walked on, thinking that maybe it was a mistake and he just flew off course. then the 3rd and final most vicious attack of all....he swooped down and attacked me for the 3rd time and vicious this time...i screamed with all my might and defended myself vigrourously. then i quickly rushed down the staircase. when i reached home, i realised he had (either his beak or his claws) clawed me slightly on my lower leg.........my gosh! soooooooooo scary!

- Vanessa, singapore, 28/01/2009 12:09
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I think the crows are getting their own back for all the years of humans shooting at them on farms! And I do not blame them!

- Chantelle Lan, London, England, 02/12/2008 21:05
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Not once but five times, other people walk same way as I do but one of the crow started to attack me, I don't know why? Is it because of the cloth I m wearing or why? Why me, why not others?

- Shish Roka, merrylands 2160, NSW, Australia, 28/07/2008 04:18
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I was attacked by a crow today. It swooped on me as I rode my bike. I alighted and walked with the bike but the crow would fly to the nearest tree in whichever direction I was walking. When I turned my back on the crow after 2 minutes it swooped on me again just missing me as I bent down. After staring it out and moving away from trees it eventually left me alone. I can only presume it was protecting its young.

- Lee Sutton, Bicester, 02/06/2008 18:23
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There are a few crows outside my work in Huntington Beach that are so aggressive, they swooped on me during both my office breaks the other day. I used a jacket against them on their second attempt and it seemed to work. I just had to make sure I didn't turn my back to them.

It wasn't a pleasant experience. There are quite a few elderly people nearby. I think it might be time to call the local animal control.

- Winston, Southern California, 22/05/2008 06:11
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Local crows have developed a taste for the rubber door seals on my 3 month old Jaguar x-type. We have been set upon twice in 4 weeks and at 40 pounds a seal we are not amused.

- Garry King, Ipswich, England, 01/04/2008 11:58
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I get attacked every morning by the same crow along a road I need to walk down. I'm regularly left in tears running up the road. On several occasions it has chased me to repeat the attatcks. I've tryed walking on the other side of the road but everyday without fail it trys to get me, I have been that frightened that I have got my boyfriend to walk me to work and it still chased me up the road, my boyfriend now sees I'm not crazy. I'm sure what I should do.

- Ashleigh Page, Lincoln, England, 24/10/2007 06:32
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