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A man named Tomas Anez Dos Santos was laboring in a small open space within in the Peruvian rainforest when he detected footsteps coming closer through the lush forest.

He realized that he had been hemmed in, and halted.

“One was standing, pointing using an projectile,” he remembers. “And somehow he became aware that I was present and I started to run.”

He had come face to face members of the Mashco Piro. Over many years, Tomas—dwelling in the small community of Nueva Oceania—had been practically a local to these wandering tribe, who shun contact with strangers.

A new report issued by a human rights organisation claims exist a minimum of 196 of what it calls “remote communities” remaining in the world. This tribe is considered to be the largest. The report says half of these communities could be decimated over the coming ten years if governments neglect to implement further measures to safeguard them.

It argues the most significant dangers stem from timber harvesting, mining or operations for crude. Uncontacted groups are exceptionally at risk to common sickness—as such, the study notes a risk is presented by contact with proselytizers and digital content creators looking for clicks.

Recently, Mashco Piro people have been appearing to Nueva Oceania with greater frequency, as reported by locals.

The village is a angling community of several clans, sitting atop on the shores of the Tauhamanu waterway deep within the of Peru Amazon, half a day from the closest town by boat.

The territory is not recognised as a safeguarded area for uncontacted groups, and logging companies function here.

Tomas reports that, sometimes, the sound of logging machinery can be detected continuously, and the tribe members are observing their woodland damaged and ruined.

In Nueva Oceania, residents state they are divided. They dread the projectiles but they hold profound regard for their “kin” who live in the jungle and wish to protect them.

“Allow them to live in their own way, we can't modify their way of life. That's why we maintain our separation,” says Tomas.

Residents in Nueva Oceania are worried about the harm to the Mascho Piro's livelihood, the risk of aggression and the possibility that timber workers might expose the tribe to illnesses they have no defense to.

While we were in the community, the Mashco Piro made themselves known again. A young mother, a young mother with a two-year-old daughter, was in the forest gathering fruit when she detected them.

“There were cries, sounds from others, numerous of them. Like it was a large gathering calling out,” she shared with us.

That was the first instance she had encountered the Mashco Piro and she ran. An hour later, her mind was still pounding from terror.

“Because there are loggers and firms destroying the jungle they are fleeing, possibly out of fear and they come near us,” she explained. “It is unclear what their response may be with us. That is the thing that terrifies me.”

Two years ago, two individuals were attacked by the Mashco Piro while angling. One was wounded by an arrow to the stomach. He survived, but the second individual was found deceased after several days with nine injuries in his body.

The administration maintains a approach of no engagement with remote tribes, making it forbidden to initiate interactions with them.

This approach originated in the neighboring country after decades of lobbying by indigenous rights groups, who noted that early exposure with secluded communities lead to entire groups being decimated by disease, hardship and malnutrition.

During the 1980s, when the Nahau community in Peru first encountered with the outside world, half of their people succumbed within a few years. A decade later, the Muruhanua tribe suffered the same fate.

“Remote tribes are highly at risk—from a disease perspective, any exposure might transmit sicknesses, and even the basic infections could decimate them,” states an advocate from a local advocacy organization. “From a societal perspective, any contact or disruption may be extremely detrimental to their existence and survival as a group.”

For local residents of {