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A man named Tomas Anez Dos Santos worked in a tiny clearing far in the of Peru rainforest when he noticed movements approaching through the thick forest.

He realized he was hemmed in, and stood still.

“A single individual positioned, aiming using an projectile,” he states. “Unexpectedly he noticed of my presence and I began to run.”

He ended up confronting the Mashco Piro. For decades, Tomas—dwelling in the tiny village of Nueva Oceania—served as practically a neighbor to these wandering people, who reject interaction with outsiders.

A recent document issued by a human rights organisation claims exist at least 196 described as “uncontacted groups” remaining worldwide. The group is thought to be the biggest. It claims a significant portion of these tribes could be wiped out in the next decade should administrations fail to take further measures to safeguard them.

It argues the biggest threats stem from logging, mining or operations for petroleum. Uncontacted groups are exceptionally at risk to common disease—consequently, it notes a danger is presented by exposure with religious missionaries and digital content creators in pursuit of attention.

Lately, Mashco Piro people have been venturing to Nueva Oceania with greater frequency, based on accounts from locals.

Nueva Oceania is a fishing hamlet of several households, sitting high on the banks of the local river deep within the Peruvian jungle, half a day from the nearest settlement by watercraft.

The territory is not classified as a preserved zone for uncontacted groups, and logging companies work here.

Tomas reports that, sometimes, the noise of logging machinery can be noticed around the clock, and the Mashco Piro people are seeing their jungle disturbed and ruined.

In Nueva Oceania, people say they are torn. They are afraid of the tribal weapons but they also have deep admiration for their “relatives” dwelling in the woodland and desire to safeguard them.

“Allow them to live in their own way, we must not alter their culture. For this reason we preserve our separation,” states Tomas.

Residents in Nueva Oceania are anxious about the harm to the Mascho Piro's livelihood, the risk of conflict and the likelihood that loggers might subject the community to diseases they have no resistance to.

While we were in the village, the Mashco Piro made their presence felt again. Letitia, a young mother with a toddler child, was in the woodland picking fruit when she heard them.

“There were cries, shouts from others, many of them. Like there was a large gathering yelling,” she shared with us.

That was the first time she had encountered the Mashco Piro and she escaped. After sixty minutes, her mind was persistently pounding from fear.

“Since there are loggers and firms cutting down the forest they are escaping, possibly out of fear and they come in proximity to us,” she explained. “We are uncertain what their response may be with us. This is what frightens me.”

In 2022, a pair of timber workers were attacked by the group while angling. One man was wounded by an arrow to the stomach. He lived, but the other man was found dead after several days with several injuries in his frame.

The Peruvian government has a strategy of non-contact with remote tribes, making it prohibited to start contact with them.

The policy began in Brazil subsequent to prolonged of advocacy by tribal advocacy organizations, who saw that initial interaction with secluded communities lead to whole populations being wiped out by disease, destitution and starvation.

In the 1980s, when the Nahau tribe in the country made initial contact with the broader society, 50% of their population perished within a short period. In the 1990s, the Muruhanua tribe suffered the similar destiny.

“Remote tribes are very at risk—from a disease perspective, any exposure may spread illnesses, and even the simplest ones could wipe them out,” explains Issrail Aquisse from a local advocacy organization. “In cultural terms, any contact or disruption may be extremely detrimental to their way of life and health as a community.”

For local residents of {