Satellite images have uncovered an ancient, uncontacted tribe deep in the Amazon rainforest.

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Fabricio Amorim, a regional co-ordinator for Brazil’s indigenous foundation, Funai (http://www.survivalinternational.org/about/funai), said the indigenous community had been found after three small forest clearings were detected on satellite images.

Flyovers were carried out in April, confirming the community’s existence. The flyovers took images revealing four small straw-roofed huts surrounded by thick jungle.

Funai believes the community is likely to house around 200 people, and that they are likely from the Pano linguistic group, which straddles the border between Peru, Brazil, and Bolivia.

This tribe will join the list of 14 other officially recognised uncontacted tribes living in the Amazon, totalling around 2,000 people. Government officials avoid direct contact with tribes, preferring to maintain their safety from afar. However, the risk of external threats is growing.

“Among the main threats to the well-being of these groups are illegal fishing, hunting, logging, mining, cattle ranching, missionary actions… and drug trafficking,” Fabricio said. Oil exploration over the border in Peru could also have a negative impact on indigenous tribes in region.