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A man named Tomas Anez Dos Santos toiled in a tiny clearing deep in the of Peru rainforest when he heard movements approaching through the dense jungle.

He realized he was encircled, and halted.

“One person positioned, pointing using an arrow,” he states. “Unexpectedly he detected of my presence and I began to flee.”

He had come confronting the Mashco Piro tribe. Over many years, Tomas—dwelling in the modest settlement of Nueva Oceania—was almost a local to these itinerant people, who avoid engagement with foreigners.

An updated document by a human rights group claims there are no fewer than 196 termed “isolated tribes” in existence globally. This tribe is considered to be the largest. The study claims half of these communities could be eliminated in the next decade should administrations don't do more actions to defend them.

It argues the biggest threats are from timber harvesting, digging or exploration for oil. Remote communities are highly at risk to ordinary disease—as such, it states a threat is presented by interaction with religious missionaries and online personalities looking for clicks.

Lately, the Mashco Piro have been appearing to Nueva Oceania more and more, as reported by locals.

Nueva Oceania is a fishermen's community of seven or eight households, perched high on the shores of the Tauhamanu River in the center of the Peruvian jungle, a ten-hour journey from the nearest village by canoe.

This region is not classified as a safeguarded zone for isolated tribes, and deforestation operations operate here.

Tomas reports that, on occasion, the noise of industrial tools can be heard day and night, and the Mashco Piro people are witnessing their woodland damaged and devastated.

In Nueva Oceania, people report they are conflicted. They dread the Mashco Piro's arrows but they also possess deep regard for their “brothers” residing in the forest and wish to defend them.

“Permit them to live as they live, we can't modify their traditions. This is why we preserve our separation,” says Tomas.

The people in Nueva Oceania are concerned about the damage to the Mascho Piro's livelihood, the threat of violence and the chance that loggers might introduce the tribe to diseases they have no defense to.

At the time in the community, the tribe made their presence felt again. Letitia, a resident with a two-year-old child, was in the woodland collecting food when she heard them.

“There were shouting, sounds from individuals, a large number of them. As if it was a large gathering shouting,” she informed us.

It was the first time she had met the group and she escaped. Subsequently, her mind was persistently pounding from terror.

“Since there are timber workers and companies destroying the jungle they are fleeing, possibly out of fear and they end up close to us,” she stated. “It is unclear how they might react towards us. That is the thing that terrifies me.”

Two years ago, two individuals were confronted by the Mashco Piro while angling. One was struck by an bow to the stomach. He lived, but the other person was located lifeless after several days with nine injuries in his physique.

The Peruvian government follows a policy of non-contact with isolated people, rendering it prohibited to start contact with them.

The policy began in the neighboring country after decades of lobbying by tribal advocacy organizations, who observed that early contact with remote tribes could lead to entire communities being eliminated by illness, hardship and starvation.

Back in the eighties, when the Nahau tribe in Peru first encountered with the outside world, half of their population perished within a matter of years. During the 1990s, the Muruhanua tribe experienced the same fate.

“Isolated indigenous peoples are extremely vulnerable—in terms of health, any exposure could spread illnesses, and even the most common illnesses may decimate them,” explains Issrail Aquisse from a local advocacy organization. “From a societal perspective, any interaction or interference can be highly damaging to their life and well-being as a community.”

For those living nearby of {