Funai (the public agency responsible for Indian tribes) spotted this individual in 1996. Since then, she tries to keep her distance from the man who lives in the Tanaru reserve, in the Brazilian state of Rondônia, near Bolivia. This man, in his fifties, is said to be the only survivor of an indigenous tribe decimated in 1995. The culprits could be farmers in the area. The perpetrators could never be identified.
Since the Funai spotted this man in 1996, she has tried several times to contact him. But in vain. Each time, the native refused, preferring to live like a hermit.
Since 2012, the observers have found him to be in good health, based on the number of physical activities. He owns corn, potato, banana and papaya plantations. He is also a good hunter: birds, monkeys and wild pigs are regularly an integral part of his menu.
According to euronews.fr, what surprises his companions the most is his « desire to live ». « This anonymous man who has lost everything, his people and a series of cultural practices, proves that even alone in the woods, it is possible to survive and resist any alliance with the majority society. I think he lives much better than if he had made contact.