Rare New Footage Shows 'Uncontacted' Mashco Piro Tribe in Peruvian Amazon

Recently disseminated footage indicates at least fifty members of the “uncontacted” Mashco Piro tribe in the Peruvian Amazon Jungle.

Knewz.com has learned that the visual has drawn attention to the nearby logging companies triggering protests from indigenous advocates internationally.

The image, taken from a distance near the border between Brazil and Peru , shows scantly clad individuals, some of whom are carrying spear-like sticks.

The nearest village to the sighting belongs to another indigenous group called the Yine. This group is related to the Mashco Piro and speaks a similar language.

Previous reports cite claims by the Yine that the Mashco Piro, comprising around 750 members, denounced the nearby logging camps—the closest of which lies mere miles from where the group was seen.

Human Rights organizations like the local FENAMAD and Survival International have since lashed out against the logging companies.

The latter launched an online petition calling for the local authorities to revoke the imposing lumber companies’ licenses.

“A logging company called Canales Tahuamanu has been extracting timber from their land for years,” the organization’s website says.

“It has built more than 200km of new roads since 2016, putting the Mashco Piro’s survival at serious risk: the destruction of their forest, chance encounters with the loggers, and the spread of disease could all wipe them out.”

“Incredibly, Canales Tahuamanu has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). This stamp of approval is supposed to guarantee that the company’s operation is both sustainable and ethical, but that clearly isn’t the case here,” the petition, which is just over 100 signatures shy of its (10,000) goal, says.

It further notes the license issuing authority, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), is already under the spotlight from Peruvian indigenous groups demanding that they revoke the current logging rights.

“Losing the certification will be a powerful signal - to the company and the government - that logging in this area must stop, before it’s too late for the Mashco Piro,” the petition continues.

The organization’s chief, Caroline Pearce, weighed in with a personal statement :

“These incredible images show that very large numbers of uncontacted Mashco Piro people are living just a few miles from where loggers are poised to start operations. Indeed one logging company, Canales Tahuamanu, is already at work inside Mashco Piro territory, which the Mashco Piro have made clear they oppose.”

Alfredo Vargas Pio, president  of FENAMAD, also commented on the images:

“This is irrefutable evidence that many Mashco Piro live in this area, which the government has not only failed to protect, but actually sold off to logging companies.”

He mirrored Survival International’s concerns when he said :

“The logging workers could bring in new diseases which would wipe out the Mashco Piro, and there's also a risk of violence on either side, so it's very important that the territorial rights of the Mashco Piro are recognized and protected in law.”

The responsible authority, FSC, has not responded to the calls by local or international advocates.