Uncontacted Brazilian Amazon Tribe Disturbed By Loggers

Photos of the Uncontacted Tribe

Photos of an uncontacted tribe in the Brazil Amazon Rainforest near the border with Peru were released in late January 2011 by Survival International, an NGO dedicated to raising awareness about endangered natives around the world. The overflight and photos were performed by FUNAI, the Brazilian government’s National Indian Foundation. FUNAI has tracked the tribe from a distance for several decades, but they have not been contacted since 1910. The newly-released photos, taken in the summer of 2010, reveal an indigenous community that appears healthy and is surviving on small farms and hunting – but is also transient due to the encroachment of logging and the harmful effects of deforestation.

It took the pilot and photographers two days to locate the tribe, which had relocated deeper into the Brazil rainforest. The aerial shots were taken with a zoom lens powerful enough to focus from over a kilometer away, minimizing disturbance of a direct overflight. Direct contact could be fatal for the tribes, who have not been exposed to many viruses.

Rainforest Activists and Responsible Amazon Rainforest Tourism

Appeals to the Peruvian government to stop deforestation in the Peru Amazon have not had an effect on Peruvian governmental policy. Rainforest activists are hoping that the photos will help raise awareness about the jeopardy that indigenous tribes are in due to deforestation. Responsible Amazon rainforest tourism can help to preserve the Amazon rainforest and its inhabitants. If you are considering a Peru or Brazil Amazon rainforest tour, make sure to research the tour operator and Amazon rainforest lodge to find out if they support environment-friendly and indigenous-friendly efforts. Touring the Amazon rainforest is a fun and fascinating experience – and the more valuable the Amazon rainforest tour industry becomes, the more encouragement governments will have to protect their rainforests and their indigenous people.  

Contact a travel consultant to start planning a trip to the Peru Amazon rainforest or the Brazil Amazon rainforest.