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Tomas Anez Dos Santos was laboring in a modest open space far in the of Peru rainforest when he detected footsteps drawing near through the thick jungle.

He became aware that he stood surrounded, and froze.

“One positioned, directing with an bow and arrow,” he recalls. “Unexpectedly he detected that I was present and I commenced to escape.”

He ended up encountering the Mashco Piro tribe. For decades, Tomas—residing in the tiny village of Nueva Oceania—had been virtually a neighbour to these wandering people, who reject contact with foreigners.

A new study from a human rights organisation claims there are no fewer than 196 described as “remote communities” in existence in the world. The group is believed to be the largest. The report says half of these tribes may be wiped out in the next decade unless authorities neglect to implement further actions to defend them.

It claims the biggest risks come from timber harvesting, mining or drilling for oil. Uncontacted groups are exceptionally at risk to basic sickness—as such, the study notes a risk is presented by interaction with proselytizers and online personalities in pursuit of engagement.

Recently, the Mashco Piro have been coming to Nueva Oceania increasingly, as reported by inhabitants.

This settlement is a fishing community of several households, located atop on the banks of the local river in the center of the Peruvian rainforest, 10 hours from the nearest village by boat.

The area is not designated as a safeguarded area for isolated tribes, and deforestation operations operate here.

According to Tomas that, at times, the noise of logging machinery can be heard around the clock, and the community are seeing their jungle disrupted and destroyed.

Within the village, inhabitants say they are torn. They are afraid of the Mashco Piro's arrows but they hold profound respect for their “relatives” dwelling in the woodland and wish to safeguard them.

“Let them live according to their traditions, we must not alter their culture. This is why we maintain our separation,” says Tomas.

The people in Nueva Oceania are worried about the damage to the tribe's survival, the risk of conflict and the likelihood that loggers might introduce the community to illnesses they have no defense to.

While we were in the community, the tribe made their presence felt again. Letitia, a young mother with a toddler child, was in the forest collecting fruit when she noticed them.

“There were cries, sounds from individuals, numerous of them. As though there were a large gathering shouting,” she told us.

That was the initial occasion she had encountered the group and she fled. After sixty minutes, her mind was continually throbbing from terror.

“As there are timber workers and firms destroying the woodland they are escaping, possibly because of dread and they come in proximity to us,” she stated. “It is unclear what their response may be towards us. This is what scares me.”

Recently, two individuals were confronted by the Mashco Piro while fishing. One was hit by an arrow to the stomach. He lived, but the other man was discovered dead days later with several injuries in his physique.

The Peruvian government follows a policy of non-contact with remote tribes, rendering it illegal to start encounters with them.

The policy was first adopted in Brazil after decades of advocacy by community representatives, who noted that first contact with secluded communities could lead to entire groups being wiped out by sickness, hardship and hunger.

Back in the eighties, when the Nahau tribe in Peru made initial contact with the outside world, 50% of their population died within a matter of years. A decade later, the Muruhanua community experienced the similar destiny.

“Isolated indigenous peoples are very susceptible—from a disease perspective, any exposure could spread illnesses, and even the most common illnesses could decimate them,” states a representative from a tribal support group. “From a societal perspective, any contact or disruption can be very harmful to their way of life and health as a society.”

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