New photos have surfaced showing the Mashco Piro, a seldom-seen uncontacted Indigenous tribe in the remote Peruvian Amazon. Concerns are rising that logging is driving them out of the dense rainforest more often.
Survival International, a nonprofit supporting Indigenous rights, released images of the tribe near a river close to logging areas. Fenamad, an Indigenous rights group, stated that the Mashco Piro are seeking food due to expanding logging.
The photos, taken in late June, show the tribe along a river in the Madre de Dios region, near the Brazilian border. Caroline Pearce, Survival International’s director, said the images prove many Mashco Piro live close to logging sites, where operations have begun despite the tribe’s opposition.
Alfredo Vargas Pio, head of Fenamad, emphasized the government’s failure to protect the Mashco Piro’s land, now sold to logging companies. He warned of the potential for new diseases and violence, stressing the need for legal recognition and protection of their territorial rights.
Recently, over 50 Mashco Piro were seen near a Yine village in Monte Salvado, and 17 near Puerto Nuevo, according to Survival International. The Mashco Piro, who live between two natural reserves in Madre de Dios, rarely leave their territory and have limited contact with other tribes.
The Yine, who are not uncontacted, speak a language related to Mashco Piro and have reported the tribe’s anger over logging on their land. Several companies hold logging concessions in Mashco Piro territory. Survival International noted that Canales Tahuamanu loggers are constructing roads deep into the forest, facilitating further colonization and settlement.
Loggers often do not report Mashco Piro sightings to avoid shutdowns. A Mashco Piro man reportedly called the loggers in orange jumpsuits “bad people.” Canales Tahuamanu manages nearly 53,000 hectares of forest in Madre de Dios for cedar and mahogany extraction.
Pearce called for immediate cancellation of the company’s license to prevent a humanitarian disaster. Canales Tahuamanu has used the courts to defend its activities and even sued to stop the Yine from entering shared rainforest areas.
The Peruvian government announced that local villagers had spotted Mashco Piro near the Las Piedras river. Sightings have also been reported in Brazil, where the tribe flees from Peruvian loggers.
Indigenous organizations in Peru have long pushed for expanding the Mashco Piro’s reserve. Approval was given by all relevant government departments by 2016, awaiting a presidential decree, according to Survival International.