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A man named Tomas Anez Dos Santos was laboring in a tiny glade within in the of Peru Amazon when he heard sounds drawing near through the lush woodland.

It dawned on him he was hemmed in, and stood still.

“One stood, aiming with an arrow,” he recalls. “Unexpectedly he became aware that I was present and I started to escape.”

He found himself face to face the Mashco Piro. For a long time, Tomas—residing in the modest settlement of Nueva Oceania—had been almost a neighbor to these wandering tribe, who avoid interaction with foreigners.

An updated study by a human rights organisation states there are at least 196 described as “isolated tribes” in existence globally. The Mashco Piro is believed to be the largest. The report claims half of these groups may be wiped out over the coming ten years should administrations neglect to implement further to protect them.

It claims the greatest threats are from deforestation, mining or exploration for oil. Uncontacted groups are exceptionally at risk to common illness—as such, the study says a threat is presented by interaction with proselytizers and social media influencers looking for engagement.

Recently, members of the tribe have been coming to Nueva Oceania with greater frequency, as reported by residents.

Nueva Oceania is a angling village of several households, sitting elevated on the edges of the Tauhamanu River deep within the of Peru Amazon, 10 hours from the nearest village by canoe.

The territory is not designated as a preserved reserve for uncontacted groups, and deforestation operations function here.

Tomas reports that, on occasion, the noise of logging machinery can be noticed continuously, and the community are observing their forest disturbed and devastated.

In Nueva Oceania, inhabitants say they are conflicted. They fear the tribal weapons but they hold profound respect for their “brothers” residing in the forest and wish to protect them.

“Let them live in their own way, we can't alter their way of life. That's why we preserve our distance,” says Tomas.

Inhabitants in Nueva Oceania are concerned about the destruction to the Mascho Piro's livelihood, the danger of violence and the possibility that deforestation crews might subject the community to illnesses they have no resistance to.

At the time in the community, the group appeared again. A young mother, a resident with a young daughter, was in the forest collecting fruit when she heard them.

“We detected cries, cries from people, many of them. As though there were a large gathering shouting,” she informed us.

This marked the first time she had come across the Mashco Piro and she ran. After sixty minutes, her head was persistently racing from fear.

“Because operate timber workers and companies clearing the jungle they are escaping, perhaps out of fear and they come close to us,” she stated. “It is unclear how they might react towards us. That's what scares me.”

Two years ago, two loggers were confronted by the group while catching fish. One was struck by an arrow to the gut. He lived, but the other person was found deceased subsequently with nine arrow wounds in his physique.

The administration has a policy of avoiding interaction with isolated people, making it illegal to initiate contact with them.

This approach originated in Brazil following many years of campaigning by tribal advocacy organizations, who noted that early contact with remote tribes resulted to whole populations being wiped out by sickness, poverty and malnutrition.

During the 1980s, when the Nahau community in the country made initial contact with the broader society, 50% of their people succumbed within a matter of years. During the 1990s, the Muruhanua people faced the identical outcome.

“Isolated indigenous peoples are extremely susceptible—in terms of health, any contact could introduce illnesses, and even the simplest ones might eliminate them,” says a representative from a tribal support group. “Culturally too, any interaction or disruption can be highly damaging to their existence and survival as a group.”

For local residents of {