SEATTLE - Near the Madre de Dios region in the southeast of Peru, dozens of people from the Mashco Piro tribe were spotted on the banks of a river, close to where logging companies have concessions. Although it is a rare sight, the uncontacted tribe has been coming out of the Amazonian rainforest more frequently in recent weeks in search of food, and according to local indigenous rights group FENAMAD, they are trying to move away from the growing presence of loggers.
The Mashco Piro people are considered to be the largest uncontacted tribe in the world with more than 750 people, according to human rights group Survival International. They were given a territorial reserve in 2002. The Peruvian government has also given concessions to several logging companies within Mashco Piro territory.
